Dynamics
by Toa Allanon
Summary: Entirely OC cast, set in the Bionicle universe. Seven Toa guard their island against a vicious threat. Rated T for violence and gore in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This story is completely full of original characters. However, it is set in the Bionicle universe. Constructive criticism is greatly welcome. This first chapter, more of a prologue, is merely to introduce the main good guy characters. The plot begins with the next chapter where I introduce the main bad guy.

Chapter 1

"Well, what now?" a bored looking Ikiku, Toa of Stone, asked an equally bored looking, and fidgeting, Toa of Air.

Lynx shrugged and looked at the ceiling, putting his hand behind his head. With his other hand, he threw an imaginary dart at the ceiling. He felt someone elbow him in the ribcage of his armor. He looked at Tyoama, Toa of Water, in annoyance. That was the third time she had elbowed him, and they had only been there for fifteen minutes. She gave him a dissaproving look and shook her head. Lynx made a loud, annoying noise sounding like a mix betwen a sigh and a groan. With more force this time, she elbowed him again.

"Will you behave?" she hissed.

"Why do you always insist on coming to these Toa meetings so early?" Lynx shot back. The green Toa looked around, trying to find something to amuse himself. He locked eyes on Ikiku, who was just leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the table. Lynx grinned to himself. He silently picked up his curved bow, which had been leaning on the back of his chair. Then he took advantage of its curvature to poke Ikiku hard on his other side.

Startled, the Toa of Stone looked around. Seeing Lynx's grin, he gave the green Toa a look.

Tyoama elbowed the Air Toa again. "Will you please behave?"

"Yes, dear," Lynx said, a mocking look on his Miru, Great Mask of Levitation.

Tyoama was about to elbow him again when Ray, Toa of Ice, entered. They did not see him enter, but the sudden temperature drop in the room betrayed his presence. She turned around to face the doorway but did not see him. Suddenly there was a loud bang infront of her. She leaped out of her seat, instinctively crouching to a fighting stance. Then she straightened. She scowled at the Ice Toa, who stood infront of her, a small grin on his Kaukau, his sword on the table where he had slammed it, and a grate in his other hand, like the one that should have been on the drain in the room.

"Why did you come through the drain?" she asked, truly curious but still annoyed. She noticed a foul odor about him. "The sewer from the smell of it too."

"I was working," he said simply. "I swam through the sewage system. I would have been late otherwise. Got here on time, did not I?"

Tyoama could here Lynx snickering. She turned to look at him and saw that the two Toa were trying not to laugh. She turned back to Ray, who had not moved. "The sewer? What work would you, a Toa of Ice, have in the _sewer_?"

Ray did not answer, but instead turned around and put the grate back on the drain pipe. He took a seat next to Tyoama around the table. He stared straight ahead, ignoring that he had even heard her question.

"You're being rude."

"Am I?" he asked, looking innocent. He glanced down at himself. "Oh. The smell. I am sorry for that, though I have never heard a smell called rude."

Tyoama sat down in frustration. Ray's mind seemed to be detached from his body sometimes. She had stopped trying to pursue questions that he would not answer because it would end in nothing but confusion on her part. He was intelligent, but his bahavior patterns were like a maze to her.

Four Turaga entered the room, discussing things in quiet tones. Each sat next to their perspective Toa, but one had to sit next to an empty chair since his Toa had not arrived yet. Turaga Taia and Toa Lynx greeted each other enthusiatically. Turaga Shataea sat down next to Tyoama. She sniffed the air and looked past Tyoama to the white Toa. She questionably raised an eyebrow of her Noble Mahiki, Mask of Illusion, to Tyoama. Tyoama shook her head exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

Turaga Lant stopped before sitting next to Ray. He looked at Ray harshly. The two began arguing in a foreign language. Unlike other regions of Ahira, many of Ko-Ahira's inhabitants were not native to the island but had migrated long ago. These migrants spoke a different Matoran dialect, and the result was that every Ko-Ahiran fluently spoke both the language of Ahira and of the migrants' native land. This was slightly annoying to the other Ahirans, because they had never had to learn this new language. They thought it rude when Ko-Ahirans would converse in this language infront of those who did not know the language. Nevertheless, the basic context of what Lant and Ray were saying was clear by the Turaga's harsh tone and the Toa's excusing and placating tone. Lant sat down next to Ray, though he moved his chair away from the smelly Toa.

Turaga Twichm of Earth sat near the head of the table, where the Toa of Earth and leader of the Ahira team would sit when he arrived.

Two loud voices could be heard down the hall. Though their voices were muffled, the conversation could be clearly understood, easily identifying the Toa and Turaga of Fire.

"That makes no sense!" one shouted.

"Will you just listen?" came the other, not as loudly, more reserved.

"I will when you make sense!"

"Calm down," the other snapped.

"I am calm!"

The two entered. Toa Vicant's last statement rung in their ears because of his booming voice and echoing quality of the room. The two stopped arguing and sat down in silence, neither looking at the other.

Turaga Shataea shook her head in disapproval at the Toa of Fire. "You should not yell at your elders," she scolded.

Vicant crossed his arms and glared at the ground, but remained silent.

Turaga Hattit nodded and said, "Yes, if you would just be quiet and listen - "

"I was listening," the irritated Fire Toa muttered through clenched teeth.

"There you go again," Hattit said, throwing his hand up in an exasperated gesture. "You never wait for me to finish - "

"Because when I do, it still doesn't make sense," Vicant shot back.

"Vicant. Be quiet," said Toa Titasami, striding into the room with his usual frown on his Kakama. The Toa of Fire shut up immediately. No one crossed the Toa of Earth. He had been a Toa longer than any of the present Toa, and even had been a Toa before a few of the present Turaga. His leadership was unchallenged because of his experience and ability to keep order.

A brown Turaga and a blue and green Toa followed Titasami. Toa Kappa smiled slightly at the other Toa before resuming his serious demeanor. He sat down between the Water Toa and Air Turaga. Turaga Silam of Earth took his seat next to Toa Ikiku. The two stone elemetals nodded in greeting.

They all looked at Toa Titasami. He sat down, signalling the the Toa meeting had come to order. Nothing of importance was really accomplished at these meetings. The meetings were Titasami's way of keeping the Toa in contact with each other and keeping them informed of events. Basically, the Turaga talked to each other about problems and afterwards some of the Toa would stick around and be social.

"I have an announcement," Titasami said, surprising them. The Toa, even Titasami, rarely spoke at these meetings, and an announcement by their leader had to be important. Titasami paused before continuing, looking around to make sure he had everyone's attention. "I've been the leader of this team for, well, a long time. I've decided to pick a second in command to replace me when I die or when I become a Turaga so you all are not fighting each other and destroying things to be the leader." Titasami glanced meaningfully at Vicant, Lynx, and Ikiku. "I have chosen Toa Kappa of Air and Water to be the second in command."

They all looked at the young Toa in surprise. He was the youngest and most inexperienced of the team. Kappa was looking at his lap, fidgeting with his hands. He did not appear surprised by this announcement, only nervous.

The Turaga all nodded their approval.

"That aside," the Earth Toa said brusquely, turning the conversation back over to the Turaga, "Turaga Silam, how is the harvest going?"

The brown Turaga nodded. "Fine. Remember, everyone is invited to the Harvest Feast. It seems that I always say this every year yet no one comes," he said, an annoyed look on his Kanohi Rau, Mask of Translation.

"I'll come," Lynx said excitedly.

Silam gave him a look. "You said that last year."

Lynx looked gave him a nervous grin. "Oh."

Vicant, who had been leaning on the back legs of his chair, suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards. Metal armor and stone make a very loud noise, especially in such a quiet atmosphere. Vicant's orange Kanohi began turning red. He slammed the chair back upright and sat down.

"Stop rocking in a chair that is not meant for rocking," the Fire Turaga whispered admonishingly.

"Stop telling me not to rock and I won't rock," he whispered back rebelliously.

"Your attitude is entirely uncalled for," Hattit snapped.

"Whatever," the Fire Toa said sharply, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his chair back again.

Hattit scowled and slammed his fist at Vicant's chair, making it go back on all four legs.

Vicant glared angrily at the Turaga. Heat began emanating from him, dangerously high.

Titasami stood up, glowering at the two fire elementals. "Everyone is dismissed except the Ta-Ahiran representatives," he said in a flat, even paced tone. A few winced. They certainly did not want to be in either Vicant or Hattit's place. Titasami only used big, official words and that tone when he was angry. No one wanted to cross Titasami when he was angry. The others left quietly.

"Kappa, you stay too," Titasami said, gesturing to the new Second.

Kappa nervously walked to the Toa of Earth's side.

Looking at Kappa, Titasami stepped back and gestured to the seated pair. Kappa looked shocked and hoped that he misinterpreted Titasami's gesture. _Oh no, he doesn't want me to talk to them, does he?_ he thought, suddenly not wanting his new role. But Titasami said nothing to the red pair and did not even look at them. His expectant gaze was fixed on the young Toa only. Kappa looked at Toa Vicant and Turaga Hattit, both of which had disciplined _him_ at one time or another in the past years. Toa Vicant looked angry. Turaga Hattit appeared to have calmed down and was watching him expectantly as well, waiting to see what Kappa would say.

"Well, what is your problem?" he asked them, masking his nervousness with his usual serious expression.

Vicant looked taken aback by the question. He began spluttering and pointing at Hattit. "He - I don't - what can- "

"You cannot blame it wholly on Turaga Hattit, though he did provoke you," he said as sternly as he could despite his nervousness. "Have you ever wondered why the Ta-Ahirans have been so unruly? Have you ever thought that it is because they are following their Toa's example? You are responsible for them, not just for their physical safety. They look up to you." He pointed his finger at Vicant for emphasis. "They admire you and want to imitate you. Also, here in this room, you represent your people. What image have you shown the other Toa for your Matoran?"

"And you, Turaga Hattit," he began, more nervous at the task of admonishing a Turaga, "you are responsible for Toa Vicant."

Hattit looked pensive and attentive.

"You were once a Toa of Fire. You know what your duties were. It is your responsibility to train him. You are his example. When he sees you lose your temper, won't he follow? If he sees that you think that your temper outbursts are fine, then he probably will not find your teaching him not to lose his temper as a, um, something that he must do." His mind began to draw a blank, quelling under the Turaga's steady gaze. But he kept talking, hoping that he made sense. "I know that I struggled with that when you would train me. You would tell me to be calm and reasonable, yet I would see you yelling at Toa Vicant over, well, nothing. It made no sense to me. Though Vicant probably won't admit it, it most likely doesn't make sense to him either."

Kappa stopped, finished. He waited anxiously for their responses.

Vicant looked at Hattit grudgingly. "Sure, whatever, I'm sorry. Are we done?" he mumbled.

Hattit looked at Titasami by instinct to see if he had his approval for dismissal. He turned his gaze to Kappa, waiting for a response.

"Yeah, I guess," the green and blue Toa said, feeling discouraged. "That's all I can think of. I hope you keep that in mind."

The two left without saying any more to him. Kappa swallowed uneasily. He did not want to face Titasami. He felt as though he had failed. With his head down, he turned to Titasami. He glanced up, expecting admonition or disapproval, or even removal of his new position. Titasami's face showed no emotion.

"Good enough," he said. The two started to leave the room.

A shout echoed down the halls. "That twerp just scolded me to my face! Who knew the kid had guts to do that?"

Laughter echoed back.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: First off, I can't tell you how surprised I was to get so many reviews so quickly. I also greatly appreciate the advice. I'll see what I can do about being more colorful in describing the colors. I think I'll look through my coloring pencil collection for ideas.

I'm sorry that I forgot to explain about Kappa. There was a wormhole somewhere between my brain and my typing. Anyway, here's the background info about Kappa: Kappa is like a form of artificial life. He and another named Theta were created as prototypes for some sort of advanced law-enforcing drone (like the Vahki, only better) that were modeled after Toa. The scientists wanted to make the drones more sentient and asked for permission to experiment using energized protodermis. They were given permission on the condition that some Toa had to be present in case the experiment went wrong. However, nothing seemed to happen after exposing the drones to energized protodermis. Among the Toa present were Lynx and Tyoama, who also volunteered to help move the drones back to wherever it was the scientists were working on them. But when the two Toa came in contact with the two drones, their Toa energies reacted with the energized protodermis. The result was that the drones came to life and received air and water powers. However, the scientists quickly surmised that the experiment did more than made the two sentient drones. The two were alive. Titasami decided to make them a part of their Toa team. You may have noticed that Theta isn't in the story. Well, something happened to him, something that I'm not going to tell you yet. It's a surprise. Oooooh.

And here's the second chapter of the story, which introduces the villain of my story. Fear the evilness. Oh yeah, and italic sentences usually represent a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 2**

A tall, black, heavily armored being stood facing a large, stagnant lake. In the center, a dangerous looking rock outcropping was beginning to appear. No rain had come to the island of Zereda for so long that the lake itself had begun to evaporate significantly. Several large, four-legged blue Rahi could be seen swimming and fighting with each other in the water. A few were ravenously eating some of the few remaining fish in the lake. A vicious fight broke out on the rock out-cropping when one of the Rahi managed to steal part of another's meal.

Zebulun frowned in annoyance and repulsion. His subjects positively disgusted him at times. It did not matter to him that they were Rahi, though intelligent Rahi. He still thought that they were a nuisance to keep under control. The only thing he enjoyed about them was their loyalty and extreme numbers. He had never once lost a battle because he had numbers on his side. Though, he hated to watch the aftermath because the Ithamar would eat their slain enemies. He had gotten it through their animal brains to eat them out of his sight.

The Ithamar came in two breeds, both possessing elemental powers. One was Water Ithamar, which Zebulun was watching presently with increasing boredom. They were several shades of blue. Silver and black markings and size were the only way he could tell any of them apart, if he even wanted to. The other was the Fire Ithamar, ranging from bright red to dull orange. These also had black and silver markings. The Ithamar's armor had jagged edges on the ends of their limbs nearest their clawed paws. They also had sharp teeth, but mainly used their teeth for eating. The Ithamar would only use these natural weapons in fights among themselves because, for some reason Zebulun could not understand and did not care to understand, they hated close combat with their enemies. They used their high level of intelligence to create and use long-ranged weapons that they would see their enemies using. Over time, their aim became very good. Over all, Zebulun preferred the Fire Ithamar, which he believed were more Matoran-like.

Zebulun scowled. The more he thought about Matoran, the more he despised these Ithamar. He had to learn the language of the Rahi Ithamar in order to communicate with them, and he found this to be very bothersome. Matoran would make much better subjects. Yet, he knew that the only way he could gain a territory with Matoran would be to use the force of his Ithamar, meaning that he would have to take them with him. Yet taking all of these Rahi with him would be not only troublesome but also meant that he would have to somehow get rid of them when he gained a Matoran territory. Zebulun began to lose himself in the daydreams of ruling intelligent Matoran.

He heard a noise of metal against stone and a growl from behind him and twitched in annoyance. He turned his head and saw a Fire Ithamar climbing up the rock stairs on all fours. When the Rahi saw that his master had seen him, he quickly stood up on his hind legs, as Zebulun had instructed him. The sword attached to a belt around his waist clanged against the rock again. The red Rahi growled at the sword again. Then he strode up to his master.

"Pedahzur," he acknowledged the Rahi.

The tall, red and black Rahi bowed his head and began making noises, his tail swaying from side to side. It annoyed him how their tails always seemed to be moving, not to mention that it annoyed him that they had tails at all. Zebulun could tell that his second in command was only making a speech of obesience, so he did not bother trying to understand him. Zebulun turned back to the dying lake. He heard the Rahi saying something more. He frowned irritably. "What is it?" he asked.

Pedahzur started over again. Because Zebulun did not really care about the Ithamar's language, he had a limited understanding of it. All that he could understand from what Pedahzur said was "master," "food," "gone." "Of course they'd be complaining about food," he muttered under his breath. He saw the Rahi stiffen and felt a bit apprehensive. At times, he thought that the Rahi could understand a great deal more about the Matoran language than he let on, but that was impossible. He was only a Rahi, not anywhere near the intelligence level of Matoran with their spoken languages.

A plot began to form in Zebulun's mind. He smiled craftily and turned to the tall Ithamar. He haltingly began to talk to the Rahi in the Rahi's language. "I thought much about this," he said with false concern and as simply as he could so the Rahi could understand. "I say to move to new land, new hunting."

Pedahzur stared at his master with a look of concentration. A few seconds later, the Rahi's countenance brightened and he bobbed his head enthusiastically. Zebulun muttered under his breath about how slow-witted these creatures were. Then the Rahi asked, "How?"

Zebulun sighed frustratedly. He had hoped that the semi-smart Rahi had thought of a way. He could not think of how to transport so many Rahi. The wood on the island was scarce, and he didn't trust the Ithamar with the crafting of boats. How would he be able to craft boats?

Then the Ithamar began speaking again. Zebulun heard, "Water...swim...carry...to...boat...master."

Zebulun crossed his arms in annoyance. That made no sense. "Repeat," he demanded.

Pedahzur did not repeat it exactly. Instead, he pointed at the Water Ithamar. "Swim," he stated simply. Then he tapped his chest. "Carry red ones." Then he pointed to the trees then to Zebulun. "Boat - master."

Zebulun grinned. He had not taken into account that the Water Ithamar did not need boats. And if the Water Ithamar carried the Fire Ithamar, that would mean fewer in the boat. "Good, good. Soon?" he said in his halting Rahi.

The red being grinned. "Next sun-up."

Zebulun smiled widely with evil cunning. "Good."

The Rahi bowed and left, returning to all fours to move faster. Zebulun turned his attention back to the lake. Tomorrow, he would be that much nearer to leaving this primitive life and becoming the lord of a Matoran civilization somewhere.

He hefted his sword, thinking of how he could go about destroying his Ithamar once he had that accomplished. He pushed a lever on the intricate handle, and the blade suddenly split into several blades going every which way. He grinned maliciously. He fingered another lever and the spring mechanism made the blades regroup to appear as one blade again. He turned and approached a tree. He stabbed the tree, pulled the lever, and watched with evil delight as the tree flew in many directions from force of the springing blades. He could remember how many times he had used this weapon on live beings and the glorious mess it would make. No one ever survived a thrust from his sword as soon as he pulled that lever. He rarely had to actually fight with this weapon, his own creation.

Pedahzur raced to the high rocks, his sword annoyingly banging on the ground. He found the sword to be bothersome, but he knew that the Black One gave him this as a mark of authority as second in command. It was a symbol that told him how much the Master trusted him. Soon, the Fire Ithamar was at the near top of the high rocks. The high rocks was a large rock formation at one end of the island. This was used as the temporary meeting place of the Ithamar while they lived on Zereda.

Pedahzur threw back his head and let loose a deep, wailing roar that could be heard all over the island. Immediately, red and blue Ithamar began to quickly assemble. He could see that nerves were high as they snapped at and growled at each other irritably. He waited until all was silent to begin.

"The Master has decided that we should leave this place and seek a new hunting ground," he began, his words projecting well in the rock formation to reach the innumerable Rahi assembled. Murmurs began echoing off the walls. "True, the boats we came in when we arrived have been destroyed. We can still swim. All Water Ithamar are to help the Fire Ithamar in this." Instantly the crowd began shifting as friends began pairing up. "We will construct a boat for our master, and four Water Ithamar will guide his craft. We leave tomorrow."

A smacking noise began and steadily increased in volume. The Ithamar were slamming their claws against the rocks, a sign of their agreement and approval. The deadened trees were uprooted as the Rahi quickly set to work.

Pedahzur climbed back down the rock and began searching for the four strongest Water Ithamar. "Azari. Pashu. Malch. Tirsat," he said, picking them out by name and sight. The four came to him. "You will be the ones to guide the master." They bowed their heads in honor.

A red Ithamar approached the second in command. "Pedahzur," he said, quietly, concern showing in his dark red eyes. "You know there are more Fire than Water Ithamar. There will be many of us who will be forced to swim."

Pedahzur nodded. "I know, Azzer," he replied calmly. "I will be one of those."

Azzer's eyes widened. The second in command left before his friend could say more. He approached the boat makers. A crude, boat-shaped contraption began to be visible in their work. Some of them were arguing over how to stick the logs together.

"Bash them together until they stick," one suggested brightly.

"Can't you melt them together?" another asked.

_If they use fire, they will burn not melt_, he thought. _But melt...that's an idea._

Pedahzur began digging. A few Ithamar gave him odd glances. It did not take long for him to run into a piece of metal. When the Ithamar had come to the island, they had to eliminate a race of armored creatures and their armor had sunk into the ground but was still good. He handed the piece of metal to a Fire Ithamar.

"Melt this," he said, pointing to it then to the boat, "on that. They will stick together like the armor of our enemies."

The Ithamar brightened and began bobbing their heads, delighted at the solution. The boat-builders split into two groups: those who dug up armor, and those who melted it on logs and made the logs stick together. A few of the diggers could be seen gnawing on the armor and picking at it, looking for some meat left on them.

Pedahzur felt pity for his fellow Rahi. He himself was very hungry too. _But tomorrow_, he thought, hope rising his spirit as the sun crept behind the horizon, _we will eat._


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I realize I said that I was going to post this yesterday, but I sort of forgot. I got off work, started watching movies, playing with the dog, basically enjoying time alone since I was the only one at home for several hours. I also had to do a little bit of editing because, as Toa Lapaka pointed out to me, I had not given thought to giving my villain a species. Poor neglected, Zeby. So here is the next chapter, and here is where the excitement begins.

**Chapter 3**

At dawn, a strange sight met the north-western outposts of Ga-Wahi and Ta-Wahi that day. The ocean was dotted with countless scarlet beings and azure beings that would not have been noticeable except for their red riders. Then there was a rough-looking boat with a large, ebony being who looked equally as rough. These beings did not appear friendly, but the Ahirans were prepared to be hospitable. The red and blue beings reached the shore first and immediately began attacking. The outposts were not designed for attacks but for being lookouts.

Then the tall black Vortixx landed and began shouting at and smacking the Rahi. The Matoran were surprised that this being was shouting at his creatures to stop. The creatures looked just as shocked. Then the apparent leader of the group approached the Matoran with a fearsome smile. The Matoran who had weapons readied themselves.

"Greetings," he said, still keeping that uncomforting smile on his reptilian face. "I am Zebulun, Master of the Ithamar." He made a sweeping gesture to the horde of fearsome Rahi that were looking at them hungrily.

"What is your business here?" Ocran, captain of the south-western Ta-Ahiran outposts, asked gruffly. He made some hand signals to the Matoran around him. Three Matoran nodded and slipped quietly away.

The tall nemesis did not seem to notice. However his expression lost some of its cheerfulness. "To conquer, of course," he replied, lowering his sword. At this gesture, a large, red Rahi appeared at his side. The one named Zebulun smiled. "I wish you no harm," he said in a sticky tone that made Ocran sick.

"You have already harmed us," Ocran snapped, aiming his spear at Zebulun.

Zebulun looked impatiently annoyed now. "Yes, and you should learn from their example. Resist and you will be harmed."

The creatures were getting fidgety now. The red one next to Zebulun was glancing back at them every once and a while, growling at certain ones.

Ocran said nothing. Instead, he launched his spear at Zebulun, who deflected it with his sword. A volley of spears followed this. Screams followed as almost all of the spears found their marks in the Ithamar. Chaos was unleashed as the now enraged and very hungry Rahi surged forward despite their master's angry shouts. When Zebulun finally got his army under control, all but five of the soldiers had been killed and eaten. Of the five, Ocran and another were near death because of their wounds.

Zebulun approached them, shaking his head. "Now, now, see what you have done," he scolded Ocran in a cooing voice. "If you had only surrendered to me, your fellow Matoran would still be alive. Now their deaths are upon your head. What do you say now?"

Ocran could say nothing, nor did any of what the warlord had told him register in his mind. He collapsed, unconscious because of his wounds. Another Matoran crouched next to his leader. Although he was weaponless, his expression dared any of the Ithamar to try to kill his captain.

Zebulun smiled. "So spirited. Your people will make most interesting servants," he murmured to himself.

* * *

><p>The trio of Matoran continued sprinting away from the beach even when screams and sounds of battle ensued. They were given an order; they had to obey it. Their captain, Ta-Ahiran Ocran, had told them through hand signals to get help.<p>

_Though there may not be anyone left to help,_ Ga-Ahiran Neetha thought dismally as the sounds of battle abruptly stopped.

They continued running for a while before they found an outpost. One stopped to inform the outpost. The other two continued running. There was no sense in all three stopping to give one message.

Neetha nearly fell on her face as something grabbed her arm. She swung her spear around by instinct, whipping it at her attacker.

"Hey! Calm it. What's the hurry-rush?" the being's voice said. Recognition cut through her panicked haze. She apologetically glanced up at Toa Lynx of Air's Miru.

"Intruders...on the western...shore," she replied, panting. "Lots of them."

Toa Lynx nodded. "Go tell the Turaga of Fire," he told her. She dashed off toward the heart of Ta-Ahira.

* * *

><p>Lynx crept along the rocks silently and slowly. He knew he was no good at sneaking, as he was constantly reminded of this by his fellow Toa, so he took extra measures to remain silent. He had to pop his head up every once and a while to see if he could spot the intruders. Creeping close to the ground had its advantage of not being seen as easily, but it had the disadvantage of not being able to see around oneself.<p>

Lynx stood upright again and scanned the area. A Toa-sized ruby red Rahi was crouched on the boulder next to him, now eye level with the Toa of Air. Lynx froze in surprise. The Rahi froze too, appearing just as surprised. For a few seconds, the two stared at each other tensely. Lynx had never seen a Rahi like this before. Then the Rahi lunged with a roar, jaws aimed at his neck. Lynx stuck his arm in front of his head by instinct, allowing the Rahi to bite his limb instead of his neck. At the same time, he grabbed his bow with the other hand and whacked the Rahi in the head. The Rahi reared back with a howl of pain. Lynx tried to get to his feet, but the Rahi recovered quickly and dug its claws into Lynx's armor. Lynx prepared to blast the Rahi away with an air blast when there was a thump noise and the Rahi became limp. Lynx pushed the Rahi off himself and stood up, thanking his rescuer. Toa Ray paid no attention to Lynx's thanks. His attention was on the Rahi. Lynx watched him prod the Rahi with his sword, flipping the creature over several times and treating it as though it were already dead. Then the Toa of Ice suddenly lost interest in the Rahi and practically started dragging Lynx away.

Lynx pulled his arm out of the Ice Toa's grip. "What are you doing?" he snapped. He never got used to the white Toa's abrupt nature.

Ray turned back to him with an expressionless Kaukau. He pointed to the unconscious Rahi. "Tens of thousands of these creatures are on the beach, hungry ones too," he said. "They have probably made a few species of fish extinct from what I have seen." Ray started walking away, this time not bothering to see if Lynx were following.

Lynx jogged to catch up. "So, we've been invaded?"

Ray nodded. "Invaded and attacked." He glanced at Lynx's injured arms. "And I am not referring to you."

Lynx's eyes widened. "The Matoran!"

"Brilliant."

Lynx frowned at the back of Ray's head. "So...What are we doing?" he said after Ray would not tell him. "If the enemy's behind us, why are we quick-walking away?"

"They killed and ate almost all the Matoran that tried to defend themselves. They were not able to defend themselves, and they were trained. The Matoran who live around here are not trained," the Ice Toa replied casually.

Lynx was disgusted at how calmly Ray related the deaths of the Matoran. He glanced at Ray a second before the Ice Toa became suddenly engrossed in the nearby scenery and turned his Mask away from Lynx's view. The Air Toa was surprised. The look on the white Toa's Kanohi was of anguish. Lynx felt guilty for thinking that his fellow Toa could have been so cold-hearted about the Matoran.

* * *

><p>Ray dashed through the outpost, urging the work Rahi on with light smacks from his blade. Nearby, the Toa of Air was using his good vocals to shout the warning and instructions to the Matoran. This was the last of the small villages in the area that needed to be evacuated. <em>Hm. I wonder what would cause an avalanche quicker: my powers or Lynx's voice, <em>the stray thought darted through the Ice Toa's mind before it instantly left. Ray quickly got back to the task at hand.

Suddenly Ray straightened, his eyes wide. _I could have sworn there was another outpost,_ he thought in panic. He dashed away, dodging the Matoran who were quickly packing their belongings on the work-Rahi or already guiding the Rahi away. Ray ran for a while before stopping in confusion.

_What am I doing?_ he wondered. _That_ was _the last outpost. Gr!_ He hit his head in frustration on the tree beside which he was standing. He had a memory problem, randomly forgetting that he had already done something or think that he had already done it but had not. He knew that others noticed and that it annoyed them, but he would not apologize. It was due to an injury he received as a Matoran, and he did not want his fellow Toa to find out anything about his past. Ray sighed and started walking back to the last outpost. He could already guess what the Air Toa's reaction to his sudden disappearance would be.

Suddenly, he was barraged by blasts of flame. By instinct, he countered the fire with an ice shield. Surrounding him were dozens of the crimson Rahi that had invaded Ahira. The Rahi surged forward, blasting him with fire and taking swipes at him. He found himself quickly overwhelmed by their numbers. He fast-froze the Rahi and ran. He retreated to the shore and into the water. When he was knee deep in the turf, he dove under and sped away. For a Toa of Ice, he was a very good swimmer.

He started to slow down after a while, believing himself to be safe. He felt movement in the water and looked around. He gulped. Now he was surrounded by countless sapphire versions of the red creatures. They all looked at him with hungry eyes. Ray tried to freeze them, but the water around him was getting in the way, skewing his aim.

Ray was already ashamed at having to run away the first time. Now he was angry that he was forced to flee again. He swam as fast as he could, but the Water Rahi were more adept and quickly caught up and caged him in. Ray tried many times to break away, but the Rahi had formed a tight circle around him. Ray held his arms out, stopping a Rahi that had been charging for his neck, but another dove at him from behind, biting his back before retreating. Ray found himself completely helpless. He stopped fighting and closed his eyes, placing his arms around his head to protect it. He concentrated on his elemental powers, lowering the temperature of the sea all around him. He cringed and grunted as the Rahi tore at his body armor, but he kept lowering the temperature. Slowly, the Rahi stopped attacking him. He finally opened his eyes again. All around him, the sea bed and sea life was covered in a layer of ice. The water Rahi were far away, obviously disliking the cold, and were shrieking angrily at him. Ray painfully swam away, keeping up his chilling shield as he went. His cerulean body fluids began copiously spilling into the water. He froze his wounds to keep himself from bleeding to death and swam for main Ga-Ahira.

* * *

><p>Tyoama walked down the hall of the underwater Main Dome of Ga-Ahira. A messenger just told her that Toa Ray was here and needed to talk to her. She wondered what could be so important to Ray. She knew how much he despised being in public. She entered the room Ray was waiting for her in. "What do you -" she stopped, eyes wide at the sight of the battered white Toa. "Ray!"<p>

The Toa of Ice looked up from his injured arm, which he had been inspecting intently. "Oh, here you are," he said. "We have been invaded." He went back to inspecting the tear in his arm.

She sighed in exasperation. Ray was Ray. She approached him and took his arm. "Here, let me see that."

He flinched, betraying how much it actually hurt. "Almost all the Matoran in the western outposts have been killed, and you worry about a few injuries," he continued, trying to carefully take his arm back.

Tyoama gaped at him. Had she heard him right? That was horrible. Her Matoran lived on the western shore, as well as Ta-Ahirans. But she didn't let Ray take back his arm. "Yes, your wounds do matter, in spite of that," she said sternly. "With a dangerous threat like this, you should be ashamed of yourself for thinking so little of your injuries. You could get infection, die, and leave us with that much more of a weakness against this new enemy."

The Ice Toa looked down, but he still tried to take his arm back. "Right," he muttered. "Would you mind letting go so I can have it repaired?"

"And I'm coming with you to make sure you do," she replied, remembering his habit of ignoring others' advice.

* * *

><p>Oddly, Onu-Ahira and Ga-Wahi coexisted on the same land on the island. Though the map of Ahira showed the Onu-Ahira was in Ga-Wahi, most of mainland Ga-Wahi was populated by Onu-Ahirans. The Ga-Ahirans had learned how to create livable underwater dwellings long ago and seldom used the mainland. Onu-Ahirans had a network of tunnels under all of Ahira and did not need any above-ground space, but they had felt slighted because their city could not be put on the map because it was everywhere. The Turaga of Water, Shataea, made an agreement with the Turaga of Earth, Twichm, to allow the Onu-Ahirans to make an above-ground city in Ga-Ahira as their main city. The Onu-Ahirans took pride in this city and put their all into making it the best city of Onu-Ahira. The Onu-Matoran of all occupations joined together to make the most magnificent buildings and structures in all of Ahira. The result was the biggest and most majestic city in all of Ahira. True, one could find almost perfect matches for everything in Onu-Ahira in the other Wahi, but not all in one city.<p>

Toa Titasami grimly looked outside the window of the top floor of the Onu-Ahira's central building, the biggest and tallest building in all of Ahira. Only the mountains in Ko-Wahi were larger. Alarms were sounding along the coasts of Ga-Wahi and throughout Ta-Wahi. Even though he was far away, Titasami could still hear them. Being a Toa of Earth gave him heightened sense of hearing.

He turned his head at a slight noise. With his sword, Toa Ray was tapping the floor at an uneven tempo. Tyoama was looking at him in annoyance but she remained silent. Titasami had called the Toa to meet up here before heading out to meet the attackers. Ray and Tyoama were already present since they were the ones who told him about the invasion. The Ice Toa had armor-plates (equivalent of bandages) over several parts of his body that had been torn open by these invaders. Titasami frowned and turned back to the window, watching the Matoran run around asking each other why the alarms were going off. He knew that anything that could easily rip apart Toa armor was going to be very dangerous and hard to defeat. He stiffened, his muscles tensing for action; his Kanohi set in determination. He would not let anything destroy his land which he had fought for hard and protected for so long.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: I did put a warning in the summary about the violence and gore. This chapter will live up to that warning (nothing graphic or incredibly intense though; I don't write what I can't stand seeing in my mind). However, there won't be much gore for many more chapters. This chapter is a bit short compared to the others, mainly because it's setting the stage for the next chapter.

**Chapter 3**

Zebulun was definitely not in a good mood. That morning, he had visions of easily gaining the trust and submission of the inhabitants of this land. Then his insane minions decided to go into a frenzy and start eating his new subjects. No, Zebulun was not happy at all.

Pedahzur could tell that his master was in a foul mood and did what he could not to anger him any more than he already was. He was confused about his master's attitude towards the Ithamar. Did he not say that they were coming here to find new hunting grounds? Why did he not want the Ithamar to eat the Matoran? But Pedahzur calmed the hurt and confused Ithamar as best he could, even though he did not understand his master's intentions.

The black warlord looked down at his second in command. "Make it very clear that the Matoran are not to be touched," he snapped, not bothering to speak Rahi.

It took Pedahzur a few moments to translate what his master said. He tried to understand as quickly as he could because he could see that his slowness was making his master angry. Finally, he nodded his head and dashed off to relay the message.

As he was trying to get everyone's attention so he would only have to say it once, a few thousand Matoran appeared. Pedahzur could tell that they were soldiers. They carried weapons, walked in organized lines, and bore an overall appearance of seriousness. Pedahzur had been fighting for Zebulun for a long time, and he could tell the difference between a slap-dash army and a well-trained one. These Matoran were trained. The army halted a good distance from them.

Zebulun smiled and approached them. Several aimed their weapons at him, and Pedahzur leaped in front of Zebulun protectively. He yelped in shock and pain when his master powerfully kicked him out of the way. He saw his master's angered expression and was confused. He was equally confused that Zebulun immediately turned back to the Matoran and smiled at them.

"Matoran - "

One of the lead Matoran interrupted him. "Leave or die," he said stoically.

Pedahzur watched his master, waiting for the explosion of anger. None came, though he could tell that his master was exercising his self-control. Pedahzur did not think that the Vortixx had any self-control.

Zebulun smiled again. "I choose to stay and be your leader," he said, an edge to his voice. "You need a leader, a good and strong one," he continued in a wheedling voice.

"We already have leaders," the Matoran said quickly.

"But can they protect you?" Zebulun asked in a manipulating voice. He gestured to the Ithamar. "With a force like this, who can stand against me?"

The Matoran looked at him defiantly. "Our Toa can," he said flatly.

Zebulun frowned. Pedahzur winced. Toa were very powerful, especially a team. The Ithamar always lost great numbers when attacking Toa. Toa were tricky, resourceful, and powerful. Most of their attacks against Toa ended in retreat because they would attack Zebulun, who was not as powerful as the numerous Ithamar. Pedahzur hoped that his master would call a retreat from the island.

Zebulun leaned forward, a different sort of smile on his face this time. "Do you really believe that, little Matoran?" he asked in a quiet voice. "Look around you. We have defeated Toa before, and will again."

"We'll soon see. They are coming now," the Matoran responded, matching the tall one's smile.

Zebulun straightened, his smile gone now. "And to think that you could all have lived so peaceably under me," he said sympathetically. "You just had to bring your pitiful protectors into this. I had so hoped that we could start off on good terms."

Suddenly a scream broke the otherwise silent atmosphere. Everyone's attention was riveted to the sight of a Water Ithamar with a dead Matoran in its mouth retreating back to its lines. The hungry Ithamar had sneaked to the edge of the Matoran ranks while everyone else was paying attention to the dialogue. Pedahzur cringed, anticipating his master's rage. He did not have to wait long before his master screeched his rage, turning on him. He brought the flat of his sword down on Pedahzur's head.

"I told you to tell them not to touch the Matoran!" he roared, hitting Pedahzur again and giving him a good kick. The Rahi yelped.

Then Zebulun strode over to the offending water Ithamar. The azure Ithamar was shaking, confused and anxious. It had dropped the Matoran, which now lay with his head at an odd angle. Zebulun hefted his sword and drove it through the Ithamar's heart. The Rahi screamed, some biomechanical fluids spraying from its wound. Then Zebulun grinned and fingered the trigger on his sword. The Rahi's body flew apart from the force of the mechanism. He looked at the mess in satisfaction while he cleaned the parts off his sword and put the blades back together.

The Matoran army were pale-masked, every one of them readying their weapons grimly. The Ithamar were all cowering and hissing to each other fearfully.

Pedahzur looked from the Ithamar to the Matoran. Then something caught his eyes and dread filled him. Seven Toa stood before them. Shock, anger, and repulsion were on their Kanohi. Pedahzur sprang to his feet and began roaring orders to the Ithamar. He heard a scream of fury behind him and barely dodged the Toa of Fire's sword.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: So, I just noticed that I labeled chapter 4 as chapter 3. I'll fix that, sometime. Constructive criticism is very welcome, especially about grammar or plot errors. Plot holes bug me to no end, especially when they start eating my own stories.

**Chapter 5**

Vicant screamed as he tore at one of the Rahi, his vision overtaken by a haze of fury. He did not know what he was doing, rage controlling his movements instead of reason. He brought his sword down at the dodging Rahi again, hitting the ground beneath it so hard that his sword got stuck. This did not stop the fury-bound Toa. He chased after the Rahi, ready to strangle every one of the creatures with his bare hands if it came to it.

Suddenly something grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides and restraining him. Vicant roared and thrashed, trying to get free. He had to fight.

"Vicant!" his assailant snapped, shaking him vigorously. The familiar voice dispelled the bloody fog in Vicant's mind. He found himself panting from the adrenaline and being restrained by Kappa. One glance at his surroundings revealed that he was in the midst of the strange Rahi, though he did not remember getting this deep in their ranks. The Rahi all looked like taut springs, waiting for just a touch to snap. Kappa began backing up slowly, holding Vicant's elbow with one hand and holding his pike aloft in the other. He did not trust the fiery Toa any further than he could throw the island.

A glance at Titasami showed that he was using every bit of his self-control not to behave just as Vicant had. His hard green eyes were locked on the tall dark Vortixx. His hands were tightened fists. He looked more dangerous than any of the Toa had ever seen him.

The tall black monster began approaching them, a malicious grin on his face, for he wore no Kanohi. He stopped several paces from Titasami, placing his sword point in the ground casually. "And you must be the Toa of this delightful little island," the intruder said in a sickly sweet voice that disgusted the Toa. "My, I didn't expect there to be so many of you. No matter, as you can see, you are clearly outnumbered. There doesn't have to be any fighting." His voice turned more subtle. "If you fight, more Matoran will die in vain. Do you really want that? Hm? Just think, you can stay in your precious positions and no one will be harmed if you only surrender. You will lose nothing, only gain a more powerful ally. I am Zebulun, Lord of the Ithamar."

Behind him, the Rahi beamed at being referred to so nobly by their master. Zebulun tilted his head, looking sideways at them, waiting for an answer with an impatient look on his face.

Titasami said nothing. Silence and tension lay thick over the scene. Kappa and Vicant continued slowly backing up. Vicant tugged on his sword twice to get it out of the dirt. As soon as they were back in the ranks, the Toa of Earth spoke.

"We have no desire for your kind to be here. Get off this land - now."

Zebulun kept his fake smile. "I don't think you understand. We will not be fighting you, we will be annihilating you. And not just you, oh Toa of Pride, but your Matoran as well. Now I really don't want to do such a dreadful thing, and I don't think you do either. Surrender - now."

The Toa of Earth unlatched his weapon from his back. It was a large, curved, oval shield, tall as he was but twice as wide. It would not be considered a weapon if not for the jagged, razor-sharp spikes all across the edges. The shield was black with the symbol of Onu-Ahira on it, scratched up from its usage. It looked like it should have been heavy, but Titasami held it up effortlessly, not allowing it to touch the ground. The other Toa took the cue and readied their weapons. Lynx readied an air-row on his bow; Ikiku crouched with his axe; Ray and Vicant held their swords at ready; Tyoama held her shield in a defensive position while gripping her pike harder; Kappa gripped his pike, larger and thicker than Tyoama's, with both hands.

But Titasami did not reply to Zebulun's haughty words. Instead he turned to the Matoran army. "Leave, get away," he ordered. Then he lunged at Zebulun, not waiting for the prideful Ta-Matoran to argue. He swung his shield in an arch, and Zebulun swung his sword to block it. Titasami suddenly plunged his shield to the ground, bringing it full force on Zebulun's foot. Zebulun howled in pain, striking at Titasami again, but the black Toa ducked behind his shield.

The Ithamar needed no order. With roars and howls, they surged forward, most going after the quickly retreating Matoran. But the Matoran were not unprepared for their pursuit. One line would build a blockade with their shields while the next shot at the approaching Ithamar. Then they would back up more, and reverse the roles, so the blockade line was now firing. While the front lines kept the Ithamar temporarily at bay, the last rows were allowed the time to make a safe retreat. The front lines were grim, knowing that though they were helping others escape, they themselves would not. Then the Ithamar broke past the blockade. It was very chaotic for a few moments, the Matoran falling quickly to the large Rahi, when the seven Toa suddenly appeared on the scene, fighting with mad strength. Lynx's bow was useless as a long-range weapon now, but he had long ago noticed this weakness and reinforced it so it could double as a good club. But there were far too many of the creatures. The fire Rahi were specifically targeting Tyoama, Ray, and Kappa, seeming to know that was their weakness. The water Rahi were ganging up on Vicant. The Toa were able to buy the Matoran a few minutes head start, long enough for them to retreat, but soon they too were forced to retreat.

As they retreated, the Toa used their elemental powers to slow the Rahi down. Titasami caused a miniature earthquake to create a chasm between them, and Ray sent waves of cold back at the Rahi. The Rahi were frustrated at the setback the freshly made canyon, and uncomfortable because of the cold. The Toa continued to run, but with less urgency, knowing their attackers would not be able to continue the chase for a while.

Vicant glanced over his shoulder at one point. The Rahi seemed to be in a chaotic mess because there were so many running around, yet they were not trying to find a way over. Rather, they seemed to be working on something. Then there was a whizzing noise, and Ikiku fell to the ground with a grunt as a large rock hit him dead on. Vicant stopped and quickly helped Ikiku back to his feet. Large rocks rained down around them. Vicant looked back at the Rahi in shock. They had constructed several make-shift catapults. Not only that, but they were also creating bridges by melting rocks together.

The red Toa turned his attention back to the running. "Where...are we...running?" he snapped between breaths, frustrated at not knowing what the plan was. The Rahi would be on them soon.

He felt a shove on his left shoulder. Turning angrily to whoever did that, he saw Kappa pointing ahead of them. Looking in the direction of the pointing, he saw a large, sturdy building ahead. But Vicant could tell that it was no fortress. The smokestacks indicated that it was, at best, only a smithy, though it seemed to be made primarily of stone and metal. _At least there might be weapons inside_, he thought optimistically, then pessimistically, _but it'll probably be just our luck that there's only farming stuff in there_.

As soon as the Toa were inside, Titasami began ordering them to make ready for the attack. "Vicant! Weld these doors shut. We won't be needing their use right now. Lynx! To the upper floor. As soon as they're in range, shoot." Lynx leaped up the stairs while Vicant began using his elemental power to weld the metal doors to the walls. Titasami turned to the remaining four. "Ikiku, Ray, search for anything useful in here, weapons, spears, anything. Tyoama, fix up a storm for the fire elementals." The three nodded and went to their tasks.

Kappa stood alone, waiting for a command. Titasami gave him none. Rather, he ignored him and walked up to a thick, smoky-glassed window facing the oncoming Rahi and tapped it. Kappa cleared his throat. "What do you want me to do?"

Titasami turned back to him. The Earth Toa always had a stern, grim expression on his Kakama. Kappa couldn't remember any time when he had seen him smile. "You are to be watching and learning," he said bluntly. "Learn, Second, for the times when I am not here to tell you what to do." There was a pause before he added, sounding like an afterthought, "Go help Tyoama with the storm." He then leaned against the wall and tested the spikes on his shield.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I apologize for the time lapse since I last put a chapter up. I actually have about six more chapters written that I just need to go through them and edit. So here is chapter six, starring Zebulun and Pedahzur. The Toa shall be the stars of the next chapter. I've drawn a rough sketch of what I envision an Ithamar looks like, but my camera's being weird and won't cooperate with my computer. So it may take a while for me to get it on the internet so I can show you guys.

**Chapter 6**

The tall, black warlord ground his teeth in annoyance. He blamed the Ithamar. They were such stupid, stupid Rahi, doing whatever they pleased and never waiting for an order. He had never given the order for them to chase the Toa, and now about a fourth of his force was out chasing seven skilled Toa. Zebulun spun around and approached his second in command.

Seeing his master swiftly approaching, Pedahzur crouched defensively. His body ached from the blows he had already gotten. But, thankfully, Zebulun did not make any more threatening moves. Instead, he frowned at him with a disgusted look on his face.

"You! Why can't you just obey? I give you the highest position, for no good reason it would seem, and you continually fail!" he shouted. Pedahzur could not catch all that he was saying because Zebulun was speaking so quickly, but he could tell he was being scolded. The Vortixx paced silently, fuming but cooling off. He continued, "Take half the force and attack the stone village. Since the Toa are preoccupied, they won't expect it, and it should be a quick, easy victory." He frowned and glared at his captain. "At least, it _should_ be," he growled. "Now go!"

But the Rahi did not move. Rather, it shifted in its spot nervously, looking up at him as though still awaiting orders. Zebulun groaned in frustration. _Such slow-witted creatures_, he thought.

"Take half the force and attack the stone village!" he hollered.

Pedahzur was gone in a flash. The area became very noisy as orders were passed around. Soon, half of the force were mobilized and ready to march.

About to give the order to begin the march, Pedahzur shivered as his master's shadow fell over him. He turned quickly to face him.

"And this time, do not, I repeat, _do not_ harm the Matoran any more than necessary. Knock them out, tie them up, something. And don't eat them!" Zebulun brandished his sword menacingly. "Or else."

The Ithamar, though most could not understand what the Black One was saying, understood the gesture clearly.

As the Rahi marched across the desert, Pedahzur had a lot on his mind. The Master's actions were puzzling. Why was he treating his loyal soldiers so? Memories of how well the Black One had treated them in the past came to his mind. He used to praise them. He would even pet those who had done exceedingly well. Yet, now he did not really seem to care anymore about them. What was most shocking and mind-boggling to Pedahzur was the instant execution of the Water Ithamar. He shuddered at the memory. The Black One had _never_ executed one of his pets. Never. Although Pedahzur was clever, he was still a Rahi with limited mental capabilities. Now, it was beginning to dawn on him, but he did not want to believe it: the Master did not want them anymore.

So devoutly loyal to the Black One, Pedahzur kept trying to push this to the back of his mind, but the truth could not be silenced. He remembered that even back on the island Zebulun's distaste for them could be felt. This concerned Pedahzur greatly. What would happen to them if the Master abandoned them, or even worse, killed them all off? How would they live without the Master?

Because of his doubts, Pedahzur did not rush to carry out his Master's commands. He marched the Ithamar at a slow pace, allowing them to rest more. They had, after all, just swum an unbelievable distance the previous day. Some even drowned because they were too weak to make the journey.

As they marched, small groups of the Rahi would stop and just lie down to rest for a while, then catch up with the pack. Normally, when Zebulun was around, Pedahzur would get them marching again by force. But he knew that they would not desert. Ithamar were too social of a Rahi to leave the pack, but the Master never really understood the species even though Pedahzur would try explaining the way they lived.

Then some of the Rahi grouped together and left the group. Pedahzur did not think much of it. He knew that they were going hunting. It was normal, when on the move, for small groups to go hunting for the rest. Judging from the heat and barrenness of the place, Pedahzur guessed that they would not find much food.

Then he noticed that Azzer the Fire Ithamar was beside him. Azzer was one of his most trusted friends and was also high in the ranks of the Ithamar. He was strong and trusted him as well. Neither said anything to the other, only walking side by side. Ithamar did not always have to speak to communicate. Just walking side by side, with neither trying to outdistance the other, communicated to each other close friendship and trust.

At one point, Pedahzur glanced at Azzer. Azzer's expression was worried and anxious. Pedahzur realized that Azzer, and probably every other Ithamar, was thinking about Zebulun's cruel behavior. He also realized with dread that they were looking to him for an answer. He was their leader and closest to the Master. Even worse, he had no answer to give them.

"Pedahzur..." Azzer ventured at one point. Pedahzur looked at him, dreading what Azzer would say. "What is the Master doing?"

Pedahzur looked away, unable to bear looking at his friend's anxious, fear-filled face. He lowered his head and loped ahead of Azzer. No one else walked beside him for the rest of the trip.

Every once and a while, some of the Ithamar hunting groups returned with small catches of desert variety Rahi. These were distributed to whoever could get them first. Most of the Ithamar had to satisfy their hunger with desert beetles they would dig up.

A large rock outcropping started coming into view, though still hazy on the horizon. Pedahzur assumed that this, the only outstanding feature of this desert, was the stone village. He began roaring orders to the pack, getting them back into marching formation. With the sudden strict orders, the Ithamar sensed that they were going to be getting some action soon. The informality of the Ithamar living disappeared as they fell into ordered lines and columns, as they had been trained. The Ithamar were getting very excited as they approached the village, eager for the action and prey.

Pedahzur stopped marching, disturbed. A handful of Matoran and what he assumed was the being called Turaga, walked out of the very fortified city. The unarmed, defenseless group was approaching the thousands of vicious Rahi. Pedahzur ordered the Ithamar to stop. They obeyed willingly. Though the small group of Matoran would be easy prey, it would not be as filling and as the exciting as taking on the whole village.

Pedahzur approached the group alone. He could understand some of the Matoran language, and he was very curious as to what they wanted. Pedahzur stopped a safe distance from them, keeping an eye out for any possible trap. He briefly considered that speaking to them was not part of his orders. He stared at them, waiting for them to start the conversation.

With a hospitable air, the Turaga being said, "Welcome to Po-Ahira. I am Turaga Silam."

Pedahzur was not sure what startled him more: that the Turaga was speaking his language or that he was being friendly. Still not sure of what they wanted from him, he remained quiet, watching them suspiciously.

"Are you and your army hungry?" he asked. Since the Turaga was speaking in the Rahi's language, the rest could hear and understand him. At this, they all perked up and began getting restless.

Pedahzur glanced back to make sure that none were going to charge the Matoran. Then he nodded. "What do you expect to do about it?" he asked harshly.

"We are having a feast inside. There is always more than enough to eat. If your Rahi promise not to eat the Matoran, they may have as much as they want."

Pedahzur could not believe what he was hearing. He was so confused. He was supposed to attack and take over this village, but the village wanted to take them in as guests and _feed_ them. Pedahzur knew he had to obey his Master or else. _But this will make it that much easier to take it_, he thought. _The Matoran are not to be hurt, but with everyone as hungry as they are...If they eat tonight, they will be more focused on the take over and leave the Matoran alone. And we will be inside too..._

"We accept," Pedahzur replied impusively. The Ithamar began whining eagerly, but they obediently waited for the command to follow.

The Turaga smiled. "Good. Come along, and try not to trample the Matoran."

Pedahzur felt a guilty twinge as he and the Ithamar followed them into the village. He knew he should not be deviating from the Black One's orders, but surely he would understand. Right?


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Guess what I have? A picture of an Ithamar! Yay! I had to put some spaces in the image link because, apparently, doesn't allow links.

brickshelf. com/gallery/Loke/drawings/104_4489. jpg

**Chapter 7**

Rain, wind, and lightning pelted the numerous Rahi below. Kappa focused another lightning strike for a Rahi nearby. His accurate hit and stunned the Rahi. Although he knew the Toa code called for no killing, he often wondered if that included Rahi or just sentient enemies. _I'll have to ask Titasami, or a Turaga,_ he thought, glancing up at the angry looking clouds. He and Tyoama had gotten the storm so focused that he could see clear skies just outside the battle zone.

Down below, Vicant patrolled the building, checking for any way the Rahi could get in. Because of the intensity of the storm outside, the others could do nothing but wait for the Rahi to reach them. Restless in confined spaces, Lynx followed Vicant around the building, much to the Fire Toa's annoyance. Vicant could not decide whether it was the following or the cheery humming that annoyed him more. Ikiku was lying down, apparently as relaxed as could be, with his eyes half-closed. Titasami was sitting, testing the spikes on his shield, and staring intensely at the opposite wall. Still healing from his previous injuries, Ray sat cross-legged in a corner with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, a loud clang of metal against metal echoed through the whole building. Ikiku and Titasami sprang to their feet, weapons at ready. Ray opened one eye then closed it again. Startled out of their concentration, Kappa and Tyoama unintentionally stopped upkeeping the storm.

"Lynx, you rock-headed - you-you - " Vicant spluttered. Lynx sheepishly got up after tripping and crashing into the floor. Ikiku and Titasami lowered their weapons, looking both relieved and annoyed. Vicant continued stuttering, trying to find the right name to call Lynx.

Titasami held up his hand for silence. The other three held still and listened. Silence. Everything was quiet. Then footsteps. They turned to the stairs to see Kappa coming down, shaking his head.

"I didn't realize there was so much sand out there," he commented.

"What does sand have to do with anything? Why's it so quiet out there?" Vicant asked.

Ikiku's mask lit up with understanding and he dashed up the stairs to look out the opening. Outside, the entire valley the Rahi had been charging through was a pool of rough glass with the Rahi safely trapped within. Vicant remelted the welded shut doors so they could get out.

"Huh, why didn't anyone think of doing this in the first place?" Lynx asked, tapping the glass. "In fact, _how_ did you do this?" He peered closer. "Are you sure they're all okay?"

"Who cares?" Vicant snapped. "I hope they're all de - "

Tyoama snapped around and glared at him. Vicant looked away and shrugged, anticipating the coming tirade. "How can you say such a thing? You know the Toa Code just as well as everyone else on this team," she scolded.

"Whatever," Vicant mumbled, looking grouchy.

Suddenly Lynx started laughing. "I get it. Those fire-spitters melted the sand themselves. They trapped themselves, the Rahi-heads!"

Kappa and Ray were inspecting the Rahi. Ray was testing the rough glass to insure that it was airy enough for the Rahi to live but solid enough to keep them trapped. Kappa seemed to be counting them, his eyes darting from Rahi to Rahi.

Turning his head, Kappa reported to Titasami, "There doesn't seem to be as many as there were at the clearing."

Tyoama activated her Akaku, seeing past the horizon where they had retreated. "There are still many back in the clearing, with...that thing." She glanced at the ice-covered Rahi and shook her head. "But there still seems to be many missing," she stated, a worried frown on her Kanohi.

Ikiku looked at the sky in annoyance, throwing his arms out. "Great, just great," he mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Why does something like this have to happen so soon to the feast? I'm - "

Titasami cut him off with a glare. Then he turned his attention to Kappa. "You take Ikiku and Tyoama to Turaga Hattit. Fill him in on what is going on and do as he says."

Kappa nodded and obediently started walking toward Ta-Ahira, Tyoama and Ikiku in tow.

Titasami walked past Lynx and Ray, heading toward the beach where the enemy still camped. "Come on."

Lynx hummed cheerfully as they walked along and Ray attempted to trip him on a few occasions. Vicant muttered darkly under his breath, low enough to keep the others guessing whether his thoughts were on his green and white teammates or the enemy. Titasami pretended to ignore them.

* * *

><p>After discussing possible strategies with Turaga Hattit, the three Toa split up to scout out the unaccounted for Ithamar. Ikiku headed back towards the Ta-Wahi shore to see if he could pick up any tracks. Tyoama left for the Ta-Wahi border on Ga-Wahi, since she was more familiar with the area. Kappa headed towards the Ta-Wahi border on Le-Wahi.<p>

Kappa walked along quietly, his eyes darting around constantly so he would not miss anything. The border area was strange, filled with petrified trees. There were live saplings present, but they would also turn into petrified trees as soon as the next lava flow passed through. As it was, no living creatures were foolish enough to make their homes in this part of the forest.

Kappa started, his gaze darting to a specific area. He had seen something move, a brief glimpse between the trees. No wind disturbed this deadened forest. But he did not see any more movement. Then he heard something, very faint. Activating his Huna, Mask of Invisibility, he cautiously climbed up the tree next to him to get a better look at his surroundings. Now with a better vantage point, he could see something shadowy coming his way. The large being was darting from tree shadow to tree shadow. Its shape was vague. Kappa was instantly suspicious of this dark character sneaking toward the town.

The being was coming close to the tree Kappa was crouching in, but he could see that the being path would not come by his tree. Still invisible, he gracefully leaped to the next tree. A soft thump came from the landing, and the being stiffened, looking around. Sensing that it had been seen, the dark being stopped trying to sneak and stood in the open.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are, little Matoran," the being called, brandishing its claw-like fingers.

Kappa could feel the darkness radiating from the being, and decided that this was no ally. He leaped to the next tree then onto the being.

Though Kappa was invisible, the dark one blocked his blow and punched the Air-Water Toa hard. Kappa fell at the base of a tree, the wind knocked out of him and his Huna deactivated. He quickly stood back up, trying to ignore how his chest hurt from the blow. He glanced at his chest and was startled to see tendrils of darkness disappearing from where he had been hit. He held his pike up, waiting for the other to make a move.

The being stood still, staring at him with his dead dark green eyes. Kappa noticed that the being only looked large because of his black wings which had a slight green shimmer if the sun hit them right. The being was actually only slightly taller then he was. He was not wholly black, but had some dark emerald and navy blue markings. It was clear that this being had shadow power, and he looked very sinister.

"Who sent you?" Kappa demanded, trying give the appearance that he had the upper hand. He was not so sure if he could actually beat this being if he went on the offensive.

"Toa Ray," he answered sarcastically. There was a light tone of teasing on his voice. The he smiled. "And I assume that you, sir, are Toa Kappa?"

Kappa didn't trust this creature. He knew that Ray would not ally himself with such a dark being. He took a threatening step toward the shadow being. "I'm serious."

The shadow being suddenly looked sulky. "Yeah, so am I, unfortunately. Put your stupid pike down, Kappa."

It was then that Kappa saw that the shadow being was wearing a Huna. Recognition and shock washed over him. He lowered his pike, staring at him with astonishment. "Theta?"

The Shadow Toa looked at him with disinterest. "Still so bright, aren't ya?"


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: Random storytime! So, I went to the library today and picked up some Bionicle books. As I was browsing more things, a random guy came up to me and struck up a conversation because of the Bionicle books I was carrying. Anyway, from the conversation, I learned that the guy who voices Mata Nui in the last movie is the same guy who played Mr. Worf in the Star Trek Next Generation show. /end random storytime

Anyway, in relation to the story, this chapter is twice the size of all the other chapters I've posted because it was originally an oneshot, the first story I'd written about this island and characters of mine. I was going to post it separately, but it seems to fit here nicely with the flow of this story. So here it is, a back-story about Theta.

**Chapter 8**

The Toa of Air and Water looked at the ceiling, the walls, and the floor repeatedly. Then Theta looked down at his body. His organic components almost seemed to be pulsing with dark energy. He sighed and closed his eyes, his mind being seized by unfamiliar dark emotions, again. Panic and anger were warring inside his mind. Why did this have to happen to him?

"Theta, you all right?"

His eyes snapped open and he glared venomously at the speaker. He did not answer.

The speaker, his brother Kappa, looked sheepish. "Well, I mean, outside the obvious...Calm down. We'll get everything fixed, don't worry." He patted Theta on the back, giving him a weak smile. "The Turaga are smart, they'll figure out what's going on."

Theta sighed and leaned against the arm and back of his chair. This morning everything had been normal. He and Kappa had gone clam fishing that morning, just for the fun of it, just to be together and have fun together. He closed his eyes, which, strangely, had been smarting for quite some time now. The events leading up to the incident came back to Theta vividly.

* * *

><p>Theta chucked another clam at Kappa. Kappa barely ducked, laughing hard. Theta grinned and readied another clam. But he was laughing too hard to aim. Theta lowered his clam, shaking his head. Kappa was trying to regain his composure.<p>

"We're so mature, ya' know that?" he said.

Kappa chuckled. In the blink of an eye, he hurled his clam at Theta, hitting him squarely in the chest and knocking him down.

"No fair, loser!" Theta yelled, springing back to his feet. He looked in his bag and began rummaging around for another clam. He couldn't find one. _Guess I used them all_, he thought. _I wonder why Kap's not pelting me by now._ He glanced up and started. Kappa wasn't standing anymore. His brother was on his hands and knees, looking very weak and disoriented, a hideous slug creature on his back. The creature was sucking tendrils of energy from Kappa.

"NO!" In a few bounds Theta was upon Kappa. He tore the creature off his twin. He threw it on the ground and stomped on it. Then he turned his attention back to his brother. On his back where the creature had been, there was a darkened patch in the shape of the creature. Kappa was breathing heavily, but he seemed to be recovering. Theta felt disgust and hatred towards the creature that tried hurting his brother. He turned to completely destroy the slug.

The creature, surprisingly still alive, leaped at Theta and knocked him off the ledge. At the same time, it sank its teeth into Theta's chest and began sucking. Theta was pummeled by a strange weakness that blackened his vision. He cried out for Kappa. After what seemed like an eternity later, the pain stopped and his vision began to clear slowly.

"Theta. Theta!"

He felt cold water on his face and groaned. It stung. He felt a dread creep up on him, as though something bad had happened. Water never stung before, he was a Toa of Water. Kappa's concerned Huna began to swim into view.

"Theta! Answer me!"

"What?" he replied blearily. He squinted at Kappa to see him better. Odd, the sun seemed to have gotten brighter. _I must be facing the sun,_ he thought. As Kappa became clearer, Theta could see that he was shaking and his eyes were large with fright. "What?" he repeated, more clearly.

"Are-are you all right?" he asked shakily.

Theta frowned. What was making Kappa so frightened? "I think so." He began to get up. As soon as he got a glimpse of his body, he almost fell back down with shock. His blue and green armor had become black in many areas and the blue and green was also darkened significantly. He slowly rose to his feet, trying to get a grip on what happened, but he couldn't understand it. He felt confused as he felt his emotions turn darker. His mind frame began to change too. He began to feel angry, and it made no sense to him.

"Are you sure?"

Theta looked at Kappa. He felt a seething anger begin to overtake him. _This is his fault. If he had been more mature, like he's supposed to be, then he wouldn't have been off guard. If he hadn't been off guard, then he wouldn't have been surprised by the creature. If he hadn't been attacked by the creature, then I wouldn't have had to rescue him. If I didn't have to rescue him, then I wouldn't have been attacked, and none of this would have happened!_

Theta growled and took a menacing step forward. Then he jolted backward. He was staring horrified by the thoughts that had been running through his mind. Kappa jumped back in surprise, fear on his Kanohi. The fear frightened Theta, frightened sense into him. He felt the anger disappearing, but an overall sense of darkness still cloaked his senses. What was happening to him?

Theta couldn't stand looking at his brother's eyes any more, those questioning, confused eyes. He covered his eyes and turned away. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Theta, maybe we should go talk to the Turaga."

Theta nodded slowly, stunned that just a second ago he had no other thought than that of hurting Kappa.

* * *

><p>Kappa looked Theta over from head to foot. Slumped against the side of his seat, Theta had his eyes closed and appeared to be trying to sleep. Kappa still couldn't believe that this could be happening to his little brother. Theta hadn't been himself since the incident. Kappa could see it in his eyes. He wasn't the same. Kappa had led Theta back to Turaga Hattit's, Turaga of Fire, house as discreetly as possible. He couldn't get the image out of his head, when Theta first looked at him. His eyes and whole demeanor had changed. Kappa could almost feel the hate and anger radiating off him.<p>

Kappa reached out to rub his brother's back, as he always did whenever he tried to comfort him. As soon as Kappa's fingertips brushed against Theta's armor, Theta snapped up, his eyes blazing. Kappa recoiled, feeling that strange emotion radiating so strongly from Theta. Theta calmed down in a second.

"Sorry," he mumbled before settling back down again.

This time Theta only tensed when Kappa began rubbing his back.

There was a knock at the door. Theta sprang to his feet faster than Kappa had ever seen him do. Kappa quickly pushed him back into his seat. Kappa opened the door, but not wide enough for anyone to see past him.

It was the Matoran he had sent to get the Turaga. "Turaga Hattit is busy at the moment," the Matoran answered. "It may take a while for him to get to you, so you should come back in a few hours."

Kappa thought he heard Theta growl in the background. "Well, would you mind telling Turaga Hattit that Toa Kappa wants him here _now_. Tell him it's urgent," Kappa said forcefully.

The Matoran bowed and left.

Kappa closed the door and turned around. Theta was facing the ground; his Kanohi Huna was contorted with anger, senseless anger, like he had at the beach. Kappa slowly approached Theta, a bit unsure of what the crazed Toa would do. He stopped in front of Theta. Theta looked up at him. Kappa looked down, hoping that he looked sterner than he felt.

"Theta, calm down. You have no right to be getting so upset."

He snarled and leaped out of his chair, coming mask to mask with Kappa. Kappa tensed. Theta raised his arm, but it never got any further. Kappa could see Theta visibly calming down. Finally, Theta stepped back, an ashamed look on his Kanohi.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand what's happening to me," he said quietly, sitting back down. Theta shuddered and put his head in his hands.

Kappa was shaken. It wasn't like Theta to behave so violently._ What did that creature do to you, little brother? Why can't you control yourself?_

Turaga Hattit shook his head, wishing that Kappa were somehow mistaken. However, one glance at Toa Theta proved that Kappa's tale was true. Hattit almost felt afraid being so near to a new Shadow Toa who did not even know yet that he was becoming a Toa of Darkness.

"Do you know how to heal him?" Toa Kappa asked, concern and worry on his Kanohi. Theta had yet to show any emotion whatsoever.

Hattit grimaced. "I do not know of any cure," he said slowly. Hearing Theta growl, he quickly stepped away from the dark Toa.

"Theta," Kappa said sharply. Theta glanced up at Kappa then turned his gaze back to the floor. Kappa turned back to the Turaga, and apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Theta's been...stressed out over what's happened. Do you at least know what's, um, wrong with him?"

Hattit looked at Theta and shivered. Theta was looking directly at him with cold, dark green eyes. Gone was the playful, lively air Theta always possessed. Hattit hesitated, fearing how the Shadow Toa would react to the news. "Yes. That creature was a Shadow Leech," he said slowly, hoping that Kappa could defeat his brother if he became too violent. "Shadow leeches are few in the world. They have an appetite for only one thing: light. Not just any light, the light of one's soul." He turned to Theta, addressing him. "You managed to save your brother, but you...have become a Toa of Shadow, both in element and heart."

Theta's eyes flared. Kappa winced and stepped between Hattit and his brother. Theta closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Hattit saw Kappa relax, and he relaxed as well. _Maybe there is hope for Theta,_ Hattit thought. _Maybe he can overcome his dark side._

Suddenly Theta sprang to his feet and with a screech slammed his fist into his chair, smashing the piece of stone furniture into many pieces. Kappa started and drew his blades, a horrified look on his Kanohi. "Theta!"

Theta whirled around, facing his brother. Hattit gasped. The Toa's eyes had gotten darker, and small tendrils of shadow began to coalesce around his right hand. Hattit knew that if Theta attacked in such a small area with no control over his power, he would end up killing both or all of them.

Kappa tentatively approached the dark Toa. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, concern in his voice. "Theta, you're really starting to scare me."

To Hattit's surprise, Theta made no threatening move. The anger began to leave Theta's Huna. The shadow around his hand dissipated. Theta looked resigned and sorrowful. "I'm dangerous," he said bluntly. "I've felt it since we were on the beach. I'm too dangerous to live."

"Be quiet!" Kappa shouted. "That's no way for any brother of mine to talk. Be reasonable. You haven't killed me; you haven't killed Turaga Hattit; you didn't kill anyone else while we were coming here -"

"So I have to kill someone to prove that I'm now evil?" Theta asked with a snort. Gone was the respect.

"You're not evil," Kappa said sternly.

"You just don't want to accept it," he retorted. "Accept it, Kappa. I can't control myself. You've seen that."

"No, I haven't. I've seen you getting into little temper fits, childish temper tantrums at that, but you've always been the one to stop yourself."

Theta shook his head, a dark smirk on his Kanohi. "No, it wasn't me, brother. It was you. I know you can whoop me, so why bother fighting you? What's to stop me from killing Turaga Hattit if you leave the room?"

To Hattit's dismay, Theta looked as though he felt triumphant. To Hattit's horror, Kappa began walking to the door. Toa Kappa opened the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" Theta shouted. Hattit looked at him in surprise. Theta not only sounded but also looked fearful.

Kappa stepped outside. "Testing your theory." He closed the door.

Theta was trembling. He turned back to Hattit, a crazed and frightened look on his Kanohi. Theta slumped to the floor, back against the wall. "I don't know what to do," he whispered. "Please, is there no hope for me?"

"That depends on you, Toa Theta," Hattit responded. "You just said there was nothing to keep you from killing me if Kappa were not around, and now he is not, and yet you do not feel like hurting me, do you?"

Theta shook his head. His eyes had grown lighter, but were nowhere near as light as they once were. "I don't want to either." He looked at the wreckage of the chair around him. "But the fact remains that I cannot completely control myself."

He was still trembling, but it was not a fearful sort of trembling. Suddenly he stopped shaking, and his demeanor became less tense. Hattit saw the instant change come over Theta. He almost thought that Theta was back to normal, but he realized Theta was calmed down by his dark emotions. He was visibly depressed and resigned. Hattit did not want to know what was going on in his head, now filled with a hopeless darkness instead of black anger.

"Kappa believes in you," Hattit said. Theta looked at him, emotionless. "He would not have left you alone with me if he did not believe that you would not give in to the darkness."

Theta's eyes hardened. "He misplaces his trust then," he said flatly. "It is only because we have grown up together that he believes I have not changed, or rather, that he wants to believe." Theta's eyes grew darker. He slowly stood up. Hattit gripped his staff tighter. The Toa of Shadow made no move. He merely stood, staring impassively at Turaga Hattit. Finally, he firmly stated, "I must either be destroyed or banished, for everyone's safety."

The door suddenly swung open and Kappa, who must have been listening in, strode in with a fire in his eyes. "Stop talking this nonsense," he snapped, gesturing wildly as he did whenever he was extremely agitated. "The very fact that you see what's wrong with you - that you are aware of and don't want to be it either - proves that you can make it, that you can overcome this. You don't need to ask for your own death. We'll all help you - we're your teammates, and we'll help you overcome this -"

"- Kappa."

He stopped and looked at Theta, who had interrupted him. The look he was giving him made him angry and he began to lose confidence in what he was saying. It was a dark, determined look.

"There is no cure. I will always be like this. Are you willing to deal with this?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him. "Are you willing to deal with the Theta you've seen for the last hour forever? I will continue to get worse, you've seen that, I've felt it. I can feel myself getting less and less control over myself. Are you willing to deal with me when I no longer care about what's right? Are you? Are the others? No." Theta looked down at himself, a sorrowful look on his Kanohi. "I need to leave, forever. I need to go far away, even get lost, so that when I become completely evil I will not try to seek out my home to harm it. Maybe, somewhere out there, there could be a cure for this."

Hattit noticed that he said the last line flippantly, as if he did not care if he found a cure. Hattit looked at Kappa. The Toa of Air and Water seemed to be struggling immensely with himself. "He is right, Toa Kappa," he said grimly.

Kappa turned on Hattit, anger and hurt in his expression. "Is he? Is he? How can you say that! He is my brother! I know him, and I know that he is strong enough to work through this. We have been through so much together - we have been able to overcome the odds working together. We know each other perfectly, and are able to work as a perfect team. You have even commented on how great we are together, that you have never seen such team work before."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Hattit interrupted coldly, pointing an accusing finger at the Toa. Kappa shut his mouth. "Your words are tainted with selfishness and pride. You sound as though you believe that if you lose Theta you will lose the praise you received for your teamwork. True, you two have been a great team, but now Theta is tainted. Answer yourself, have you had your unity since Theta transformed? Have you been able to understand each other? Even yet, have you always been able to understand each other and be a perfect team? Just now you were arguing, not a sign of unity. You two are always bickering with each other, yet you call yourselves a perfect team. Theta cannot compliment your character anymore, nor you his."

Kappa hung his head as Hattit asked him the questions and winced. He raised his head, looking in Theta's direction. "I'm sorry - " he stopped abruptly. Theta was not there. Kappa and Hattit searched the room with their eyes. The door was wide open, left that way by Kappa. Kappa bolted out of the room and began looking up and down the hallway. "Theta!"

* * *

><p>Theta heard Kappa and stopped on the stairs. He leaned on the banister and looked over his shoulder. He shook his head. Using his Mask of Invisibility, he was able to leave the room while Kappa went on his tirade. Theta smiled sadly. He saw Kappa start leaping down the stairs and backed out of his way. He felt a compelling urge to trip his brother and send him tumbling to the bottom, hoping to even hurt him. He dug his now claw-like fingers into the railing, forcing himself not to follow him. He felt angry, very angry, for saving Kappa from the fate he had to endure. He felt angry at himself for not being able to control himself. He felt angry just because he wanted to feel angry.<p>

In a few seconds, he calmed down and began walking down the stairs again. He heard a noise behind him and turned. He could see nothing. A few moments later, Turaga Hattit appeared at the top of the stairs. Theta realized that he had heard the Turaga walking from way down the hall. He was surprised that his was able to hear his approach.

_It must be the dark power,_ he thought, watching the Turaga descend the stairs. _It has made me stronger in many ways, so it seems. But it has also made me weaker._

His thoughts darkened, but he focused on appearing calm. When the Turaga of Fire was almost upon him, Theta deactivated his Huna, taking a step closer to him. Turaga Hattit started, a frightened look in his eyes. Theta felt angered by his fear. He closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down. He felt the Turaga's fear feeding his darkness. He felt the desire to manipulate more fear in the Turaga. _I can, quite easily. I am stronger, and he knows I can hurt him, which makes him fear me. I could strangle him, hit him really hard, or shove that staff of his through his body. I could – _Theta shut off this line of thought and shuddered. _What am I thinking? _He opened his eyes. The Turaga appeared less afraid.

"Turaga, will you tell the others goodbye for me?" he said. "And keep Kappa from following me?"

The Turaga of Fire looked Theta over and nodded. He sighed and leaned on his staff. "We will miss you, Toa Theta. There is sense in Kappa's belief in you. You have always had the ability to be evil, everyone does, even I do. You can overcome this. Remember that. You have always done bad things throughout your life, messed up. Remember your past, Toa."

Theta listened, not moving a muscle. What the Turaga said made some sense to him, but not entirely. He shrugged and began walking down the stairs. He activated his Huna.

* * *

><p>Toa Kappa raced around, trying to locate his brother. <em>"I need to leave, forever." No, he couldn't have, not without saying goodbye.<em> He began panicking. Then he spotted Turaga Hattit, slowly approaching him.

"Have you seen him?"

"Yes," the Turaga answered gravely. Kappa stopped, waiting anxiously for him to continue. "He's gone. He asked me to bid farewell to the others."

Kappa felt a great emptiness and a great conviction. "Which way did he go? Where did you last see him?"

"He also asked me to keep you from following him," the Turaga continued, not looking him in the eye. "I told him I would."

He looked at him, wishing that he had not heard him right. "What?" he asked in disbelief. "How can you - you can't stop me!" He began to walk to the front door.

"You will stop yourself," he heard Turaga Hattit say calmly, "out of respect for your brother's wishes."

The Toa of Air and Water stopped. He hung his head, realizing that the Turaga was right. It was Theta's choice, and he made that choice. "Then, he is ...gone."

"For the time being." Kappa thought that he heard dread in the Turaga's voice. He looked at the Turaga. He was leaning on his staff, staring off into space with a pensive look on his Kanohi. Kappa shuddered at the hidden meaning of his words

* * *

><p>Dark energy crisscrossed over the prone Toa's form. He gasped in pain every once and a while. His armor and body was changing, mutating. Theta gripped the earth he was laying on, enduring the transformation as quietly as he could. He had felt this coming on, knew somehow, and he had been desperate to get away from Kappa. He wanted his brother to remember him as much as the friend and brother he had been. He had kept off the transformation for hours, enough time to get him far away from his home. He had hopped from boat to boat so many times that he had no idea where he was. In a few more moments, the transformation was complete.<p>

The Toa of Shadow stood up, looking his new body over. He was much stronger looking, and his armor was either deep blue, dark green, or black. He could imagine how much fun it would be to discover his new abilities in the form of destruction. He stretched, smiling.

He heard a rustle behind him and turned around quickly. He crouched, staying very still, not making a sound. His keen new hearing searched for anything that did not fit the surroundings. He could find nothing. He stood back up and heard the faint rustling again. He turned quickly, eyes narrowing. This was disturbing him. He heard it again, still behind him. He twirled as quickly as he could and ran into something thin and floppy, like a tent. He grabbed it right before it retreated and yanked on it hard. He cried out in pain and shock, letting go. He craned his neck to see his back, forming an idea in his head. He smiled at his foolishness. His back now had two new joints connected to a set of dark green and black wings. He stretched his wings out and contracted them again, making a rustling noise.

His smile faded away as he looked back out to sea. He could still remember Kappa, though his memories were now fuzzy. _He honestly believed that I wasn't evil, _he mused. _Maybe he is right._ Theta shrugged and turned back to the mainland. After studying the tree line for a few seconds, he strode into the dark forest.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: I am currently in the process of writing the last chapter of this story, though there are still about four chapters left to post (I haven't finished editing them). I have a sequel in mind, but I haven't worked out all the plot details yet so it may be a while before I start writing it. After I finish writing the last chapter for Dynamics, I will start posting a very lengthy chaptered story about Kopaka I started writing years ago. Maybe I'll actually have the motivation to finish it this time around. I hate ending stories. It's always so depressing, like I'm killing something. Bah. Anyway, here is chapter 9, starring the Ithamar.

**Chapter 9**

At first, tensions were high with the large, Matoran-eating Rahi mingling with the Matoran. But as soon as the food started going around and the Rahi satisfied their hunger, the tension clearly began to subside. Some of the Matoran and Rahi became so comfortable with each other that the Matoran started petting the Rahi. To the Ithamar, they were in paradise. They did not have to hunt or fight for the food, and there seemed to be no end to the resources. Within a few hours, most of the Rahi were full and lounging around, no longer showing any signs of hostility.

To the Matoran, the new Rahi were like pets, although dangerous. The Po-Matorans were very used to working around Rahi since the village was mainly agricultural. They were used to taming and training Rahi of all sorts for work. This made it easier for them to adapt to these cunning predators. The Matoran quickly discovered that these new Rahi were very intelligent and were including them in some simpler Matoran games.

To the Matoran, the calmness was a great relief. But to Pedahzur, it caused him a great deal of worry. He had never seen the Ithamar so contented. They were always believed to be a naturally aggressive breed. It was this aggressiveness that made them weapons for the Black One. Now, with their needs met, there was no sign of aggression. This worried Pedahzur because of the Black One's orders. They were supposed to defeat this village. They were supposed to destroy and hurt these hosts. He became increasingly nervous he thought of his Master's reaction if he saw them now. Worse, he could feel his own aggressive feelings begin to wane.

What made the situation that much more difficult for Pedahzur was a Po-Matoran named Hazae. The Matoran would not leave him alone. Yet it was not an annoying presence as the villager chatted amiably with Pedahzur even though the conversation was very one-sided.

Hazae's friendliness was making Pedazhur uneasy. At one point, the brown Matoran reached out towards Pedahzur's head then pulled his hand back quickly as though thinking more cautiously about what he was about to do. Then he tentatively reached out again. Pedahzur let the Matoran put his hand on his head, realizing what he was going to do. Hazae began petting his head. Joy welled up inside him. He loved being petted, even though the Matoran's hands were small compared to his large body. He closed his eyes.

* * *

><p><em>The small, young Ithamar wagged his tail joyously as his Master scratched his head and neck. The tall, black being picked Pedahzur up and cuddled him, stoking his armor while speaking to him lovingly. Pedahzur looked down at the other young Ithamar smugly. They looked back at him jealously. Then he looked into his master's face with love and loyalty.<em>

* * *

><p>At first the memory caused joy to well up inside the Rahi. <em>Now is the perfect time to strike!<em> he thought loyally, excitement rushing through him. He glanced at the carefree scene of merriment before him, imagining how easily they could slaughter them. The Black One would be so proud of his achievement.

Then sadness and bitterness replaced the zealous joy. The Master never treated him like that now. The Master did not deserve his loyalty anymore. But...should his loyalty be based upon his feelings? He had never felt so indecisive in his life. Part of him felt fear if he should follow through with deserting his master. Part of him felt a growing hatred for his master.

Pedahzur grunted, causing the Matoran to draw back warily. Once he realized that the Rahi was not getting testy, Hazae resumed petting him. Pedahzur felt a sting of guilt. How many Matoran had he slain that morning? He would have even eaten some, but he put the needs of his army before his own and let them eat all the slain Matoran.

The Ithamar grouchily stood up and started walking away. The Po-Matoran got up to follow his companion. Pedahzur bared his teeth with a low growl. He did not want this Matoran around him anymore. Hazae promptly sat back down, wide-eyed with fear. Though he felt a bit of remorse at striking unnecessary fear in his new friend, he knew that he needed to be alone to think more clearly about this. _My new friend?_ he thought with a jolt. He glanced back at the Matoran and realized with panic that he just thought of a food source as a friend. _I need to get away from this. I need to think_. Once outside, the conflicted Rahi stared out at the sandy expanse, thinking long and hard about the decision he had to make.

* * *

><p>Inside the walls of Po-Ahira, the feast party began to wind down. Many of the Matoran had already returned to their houses, but many were still hanging around. Even as tired as they were, they were wary of turning their backs on the carnivorous Rahi. The Rahi were also getting tired. All of them were lying down, and a few were even sound asleep.<p>

Turaga Silam walked outside onto the ramparts. He looked around for the Rahi's leader. Although he tried to look calm on the outside, he was terribly frightened. He knew very little about these invaders. He only knew what the messenger told Ikiku, which was not very much. He had not heard anything else about the invaders. However, when the Rahi came to the city, he could tell that they planned to attack. But Silam was not a fighter. He never had been. He had always been a negotiator. It used to annoy his teammates how he never carried a weapon or tool and avoided fights. He took a gamble that the Rahi would be distracted by the offering of food, and it worked. So far.

Silam spotted the Rahi's leader. He knew it was the same Rahi because it was carrying a sword. He frowned in confusion as he briefly tried to contemplate what a creature with no hands would be doing with a sword. Then he shook his head and activated his Rau, Mask of Translation.

"How was the feast?"

The Rahi leapt to his feet and growled, eyes blazing. Silam took a step back in alarm. Then it calmed down.

"Yes. It was satisfactory. We...enjoyed it."

Silam smiled. "Good. We are sparse on accommodations, but you and your troops are welcome to sleep in here for tonight."

The red Rahi's eyes narrowed and he shifted his weight from paw to paw. Then it finally shook its head.

"No. We camp outside," he answered gruffly. The Rahi began walking back inside.

"Er, wait a moment."

The Rahi stopped and flattened his ears to his head in annoyance.

"What is your name?"

There was a span of silence, and Silam began to think that maybe the Rahi did not have a name and that he had offended it.

"Pedahzur the Fire Ithamar," he answered, "loyal servant of Lord Zebulun."

Silam looked more worried than before. Apparently, his offering had not worked.

* * *

><p>The next morning was very cloudy and dark. Matoran lined the walls with weapons, waiting for the inevitable attack. There were dark murmurings against the Turaga who had allowed the enemy to stuff themselves with their food.<p>

* * *

><p>Pedahzur had not gotten much sleep that night. His mind was troubled by indecision and doubt. He had never felt so indecisive. He never had to make decisions. Master always made every decision for the lives of the Ithamar. Even though the Black One was their leader, all of the Ithamar looked to Pedahzur for answers and orders. He was their support. By the time dawn approached, he made his decision, and he hoped that the others would follow his leadership.<p>

As the sun rose, the Rahi woke quickly and were very restless. Though they were beginning to get hungry again, they were still left with plenty of energy from their last meal. They began sparring with each other, preparing for the attack. Many had momentarily forgotten about the order to attack and take the stone village. But they could never forget their cruel Master for long. They could not forget the execution.

Pedahzur kept his back to them. He listened to their doubts and fears. He was afraid himself, but his fear spawned from rejection. He knew that proposing mutiny was dangerous, suicidal even. If the Rahi feared Zebulun more than they trusted Pedahzur's judgment, he would be killed instantly by his companions. He was also hesitating to announce his decision because he had not completely worked out what he was going to say. He needed to have his explanation fully ready to have any hope of convincing them.

"Pedahzur," came a voice from behind him. He jumped and turned his head. His close friend Azzer was staring at him, almost glaring. The other dark red Ithamar gestured to the others with a head bob. "They are waiting," he whispered urgently. "And remind them not to eat the creatures. We musn't disobey."

The Ithamar leader, maybe soon to be former leader, took a deep breath. Then he stood up and faced his pack. He threw back his head and roared. The Ithamar gathered around him eagerly and waited expectantly for the attack order. Pedahzur closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and gather his courage. In the silence that followed, the Rahi became uneasy. Some began whispering to each other nervously.

Pedahzur growled with determination and opened his eyes. He whipped his head around and tore his belt off. He held it in his mouth for a moment, looking at his cherished sword, his emblem of authority, for the last time. Then he threw it away forcefully. The Ithamar were in an uproar. Shouts of confusion, accusation, and anger filled the air.

"What is this?" asked an enraged Fire Ithamar closest to him.

"What do you mean by this?" came another in concern.

Pedahzur roared as loudly as he could, trying to regain order. The Ithamar quieted out of reflex. Before they remembered that he relinquished his leadership, Pedahzur quickly began explaining. "H-how can we do this?" he asked, inwardly scolding himself for stammering. "I will not take part in this. We know we should not. The Master...The Master..." He gulped. "Is wrong!"

Pedahzur braced himself as several Ithamar attacked him. Even though he knew that he should run, his pride told him to fight to the death. He had not been Zebulun's second in command for no reason. He was the strongest and could win against any of his fellow Rahi in single combat. He tore at his former friends with all his strength and cunning. Both sides fought with fire and fang. Oddly, the Water Ithamar were staying out of the fight.

Then another fire Rahi joined the fight, but instead of fighting him, he fought alongside him. The attackers backed off in surprise. Pedahzur recognized his friend Azzer. Then Azzer abruptly turned on Pedahzur, pinning him to the ground.

_If I am to die,_ he thought grimly, _I will be glad that it was him._ He waited for his best friend to strike.

"You were always Master's favorite," Azzer growled. "He chose you for no reason other than you were closest at the time. You have been our leader. No one has ever questioned you or fought with you because the Master chose you. You have become too prideful!"

Pedahzur growled in annoyance. _I don't want to die with a parting lecture_.

"Which is why I don't understand," he continued, his face softening. "I don't understand why you would betray the Black One." Then Azzer released his hold on his leader, who quickly got back to his feet. The smaller crimson Rahi walked around to stand behind Pedahzur.

"Unless I am right," Pedahzur said firmly. He stood up tall and faced the rest of his pack, hoping they would understand as well. The Ithamar began muttering to one another. This went on for many long minutes. The suspense was dreadful for the impatient fire Rahi. His life depended on the response of the pack.

A tapping noise began, scattered throughout the crowd of Rahi. Pedahzur felt his spirit rise as the noise did. The Ithamar gave him his answer, and it was a positive one.

* * *

><p>The Matoran on the walltops stared at the scene below in open-mouthed shock. Turaga Silam smiled in a smug manner. He had just finished relaying the Rahi's drama and the outcome. He then proceeded to babble on childishly. "I told you so, didn't I? I was right, I was right. You said I was wrong. Ha!"<p>

"Pedahzur!" Silam shouted in Rahi, cupping his hands to his mouth. However, he got the attention of all the Rahi. "We will allow you to live in the canyons here on Ahira if you help us!"

Silam felt absolutely giddy as the Ithamar's leader nodded and the masses began moving away from Po-Ahira. Some Matoran nearby rolled their eyes, used to their Turaga's behavior by now.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: So, I've decided to combine the last four chapters into two chapters, this one and the next. This of course means that the next chapter will be the last one. However, like I said before, now that I've finished writing Dynamics, I'll begin posting my Kopaka story. I'd also like to thank you guys for all your reviews.

**Chapter 10**

Titasami glanced at the Ithamar encampment before looking back at his tem. Lynx had finally stopped humming and looked more serious. Ray seemed to be staring out into space. Titasami snapped his fingers in front of the Ice Toa's Kanohi. Ray blinked, but otherwise did not respond. Vicant growled and pushed Ray hard.

"Wake up, glitchhead," he snapped. "Get your mind out of ...where ever it is you put it."

Ray still did not respond and did not even look away from the Ithamar camp.

"Can we just dump him somewhere where he won't - "

"He's concentrating," Titasami cut Vicant off tersely. "A talent you could find useful."

Vicant looked at the Ice Toa skeptically. Lynx nodded. "Yup. You've never seen him fight, have you Vicant?"

The Fire Toa frowned in response. It was true that he had not been a member of the team for very long, and he had never witnessed Ray in a battle. The first time he had ever actually been in a battle was that morning, and he had not made it a point to watch any of his teammates' battle methods. But he doubted that a zoned out Toa was going to be of any help.

"You two stay together," Titasami ordered Lynx and Vicant. "Ray, you'll stay with me. Now, when we attack, you two will take care of the Ithamar. Ray and I will use this as a distraction and attack their leader."

"Have you seen how many of those creatures there are?" Vicant asked in disbelief. "Lynx and I can't take all of them on while you and snow-flaky try to take on that creep."

Titasami pointed behind them. "They'll help you."

Vicant looked and saw Matoran approaching. All of their masks held looks of despair and determination. He instantly felt guilty for complaining. "What are they doing here?" he demanded. "This is Toa work. This is why we're here."

"We're going to fight!"

Vicant jumped and looked down. A Ta-Matoran glared up at him. Vicant glared back.

Lynx clapped his hands over ears as the two natives of Ta-Ahira erupted like twin volcanoes. "Sooo, what exactly do you want Vicant and I to do with the Matoran?" he asked Titasami.

"Focus on ranged weapons. Do not get close to the Rahi. None of the Matoran are a match for their physical strength. You and Vicant keep them away from each other at all costs." Titasami grabbed Vicant's head and turned him around to look at him. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

Vicant looked annoyed and embarrassed. "Well, yeah, of course." The Ta-Matoran behind him snickered, apparently pleased with seeing the Toa get in trouble.

Titasami shook his head. Then he turned around and punched the ground. A tunnel began to form beneath him. He dropped down, followed by Ray. After entering the tunnel, Titasami began digging more quietly. After a while, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He tilted his head toward Ray without slowing his digging. The Ice Toa expression looked a bit sheepish and undecided.

"Well, there is a matter about which I need to discuss."

* * *

><p>Vicant looked at Lynx. "Uh... What was he saying?"<p>

Lynx shrugged, holding back a smile. "I dunno. Weren't you listening?" Vicant's expression was priceless. The green Toa grinned. "Just kidding. Ranged attacks, we protect the Matoran. That's just about it."

Lynx cupped his hands around his mouth. "Oy, can you all hear me?" he shouted to the gathering Matoran. The Matoran stopped squabbling and talking to listen.

Standing right next to the Air Toa, Vicant winced. "I can hear you fine," he muttered.

Lynx gave him a look before continuing. "You guys need to stay away from the critters. Use catapults and whatnot, but don't fight 'em. Run if you have to. Yes, I did say run. It's not heroic to die in vain. Got that?"

There were murmers of understanding among the Matoran. "I can't hear you," Lynx shouted energetically. "Yessir? Nosir? What-what?"

This time the Matoran shouted "Yes, sir!" in unison.

"Who's ready for this? Areyouguyssoready?" Lynx's energetic personality began to rub off on the frightened Matoran. "And we will win!"

Vicant looked at Lynx incredulously. "What are you doing?"

"It's called boosting morale," Lynx replied in a teasing voice, still smiling. "I've heard it's good for the troops."

"If we can't fight them hand-to-hand, well, claw, then how are we supposed to fight them?" inquired one of the Ta-Matoran.

Lynx grabbed his bow from its niche on his back with a flourish. He twanged the bow string as he responded, "Well?"

"But, all I brought was an axe," said one Matoran anxiously. "I want to help."

"And you still can. Hey you," he pointed a Le-Matoran who brought a bow. The Matoran jumped to attention. "Yeah, you. Show this blazer how to make weapons like a Le-Matoran."

As the Le-Matoran and his companions got to work creating more bows, a large rock suddenly landed in their midst. The Matoran leapt for cover. Lynx tracked the trajectory of the object back to the source. He stared open-mouthed at what he saw. Catapults. The Rahi had constructed catapults, and their aim was pretty good. More rocks headed in their direction with stunning accuracy.

"What are these creatures?" Vicant asked incredulously. "Monkeys?"

Lynx's smile faded instantly as he put on a more serious demeanor. He drew air bolts in his bow and fired at the rocks to knock them off course. Vicant raced toward the Ithamar, his sword ablaze with the fire that burned inside his heart and mind.

* * *

><p>Kappa shook his head in disbelief, a wide smile on his Kanohi. "Theta? I can't believe it. I thought you left. You look well, um, good. Where have you been? What have you been doing all these years?"<p>

Theta shrugged. "I've been around."

Kappa's expression turned to irritation. "What? Have you been here all this time? Why - why didn't you ever - hey, why didn't you say goodbye! I want an answer, brother."

Theta snorted, folding up his wings behind his back. "No. I just returned recently." He glanced at the shore. "And by recent, I do not mean with that big black brute."

Kappa sighed. "I know you don't have anything to do with that monster." Theta's mask twitched in annoyance. "Why'd you come back?"

Theta kept silent. A bird could be heard chirping nearby.

"Well, come on. We can't just stay here all day. We can catch up later."

Kappa started walking again.

"They're in Po-Ahira."

Kappa turned around. "What?"

Theta looked at him with an air of indifference. "Uh, those Rahi you were following. Duh. They're in Po-Ahira."

Kappa gasped and started running. He was suddenly stopped by an iron grip. He glanced at Theta impatiently. "What?"

"That old brown hat can handle it. I got a bird's eye of the situation, and everything's fine over there. They're stuffing those beasties with the harvest crops."

Kappa looked down, trying to decide whether to investigate himself or to trust his twin. "All right," he conceded. "Let's head back and tell the others."

He began walking but Theta did not follow. Kappa stopped, giving him a questioning look. Theta glared back. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"No," he replied tersely, spinning around stalking away.

"What? Why not? Come on, the others will want to see you."

"No. They won't," Theta spat emphatically.

Kappa started getting angry. "Will you stop being a stubborn dork-mask? Come on."

"Oh yeah, you're the second in command now," Theta sneered. "Guess that means I _have_ to obey you, right?"

Kappa frowned. "What's your problem?"

Theta sighed and looked at the sky. "Just as dense as always," he muttered. Then he turned back around and stalked after Kappa.

The two arrived back at the Turaga's housing first. As they waited for Tyoama and Ikiku to return, Kappa continued trying to start a conversation with Theta. But his reunited twin remained moodily silent.

"Ah, so, it's been a while," Kappa ventured. Theta grunted but did not say anything. "So, how long have you been back home?"

Theta twitched at the mention of "home" and glared at Kappa. "This is not my home," he hissed.

"Nice to see that your attitude hasn't changed," Kappa retorted. "Where have you..." He stopped as he remembered something from their first conversation earlier. "Have you been staying with Ray?"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

Silence.

"Hey, I asked you a question."

Theta abruptly sat down and stared at the ceiling and walls of the lobby area. Kappa sighed noisily and sat down opposite of him. He rested his head in his hands and looked at his brother. Theta looked monstrous indeed, with claws and large black wings. Kappa began noticing the new physical differences between them. Theta was slimmer now, his build more suited for agility than it was before. His armors' edges were jagged and sharp. Surprisingly enough, he was not actually black. In the fully lit room, his armor changed to very dark shades of green and blue. _Some type of chameleon effect_, Kappa surmised, _that allows him to hide in the darkness_.

By the time the others returned, the two were quietly staring at each other. However, pandemonium broke out as soon as the newcomers saw the Shadow Toa.

Kappa tried to get them to calm down in order to explain. He had to shout over them to silence them. "Shut up!" He immediately regretted his choice of words as the two looked at him in shock. "I'm sorry," he quickly said, "but would you both just calm down. This isn't an enemy, it's Theta."

There was a stunned silence with Tyoama and Ikiku looking from one twin to the other in disbelief. Then there was a loud gasp from the stairway. Turaga Hattit heard the shouting and came to investigate. His frightened and startled expression made clear that he was not expecting to see the self-exiled Shadow Toa. The crimson Turaga quickly recovered his senses and stared at him grimly.

"Theta," he murmured darkly.

"Theta?" Tyoama echoed, disbelief on her face. She approached the sinister looking Toa, staring at his masked face. The dark being avoided her gaze, his eyes narrowing to suspicious slits. She reached out to touch him and he shied away. The movement allowed the light to shine full on his mask. She gasped and smiled. "It is you."

"What? This - this thing, is Theta?" Ikiku asked no one in particular, gesturing at the stranger before him. Then he turned to Kappa skeptically. "Are you crazy? This thing can't possibly be him. He vanished, remember? It's not possible. It isn't...right?" Ikiku had to admit, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. They were never told why Theta suddenly vanished. All he knew were rumors. But he still did not want to believe that this monstrosity was his fellow Toa.

"What happened to you?" Tyoama asked, concern in her yellow eyes. Again she tried to touch him, as though to make sure he was real. This time Theta smacked her hand away. She took a step back, shocked at this violent behavior. She surveyed his new appearance, beginning to see him as a monster instead of the young Toa she once knew.

"Theta. That was uncalled for," Kappa admonished. They were all surprised at Kappa's behavior. He was treating this situation with normalcy.

Theta clenched his fists and growled. He began to stalk toward the doors. Kappa stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"Buzz off!" he angrily exploded suddenly. "Get this through your stupid, dense head! And leave me alone!"

"Excuse me? That was also uncal - "

"'Uncalled for, uncalled for,'" Theta parroted mockingly. Then he muttered, "You're so dense, you know that? I'll do it by myself."

Theta left quickly. Kappa glanced at his retreating brother, then back at the others. "I'll be right back," he said, taking off after Theta.

Ikiku and Tyoama watched him leave in silence, too surprised by the turn of events. They looked at each other and the door many times, trying to sort it out.

"It's a spy," Ikiku said confidently, breaking the silence. "That thing is probably working for that warlord creep. It's probably been sneaking around, spying on us."

"No," Tyoama said softly.

"What?"

"That was Theta." She turned to Turaga Hattit, who was staring at the floor grimly. "Wasn't it?"

The Turaga sighed and nodded.

"Yeah," Ikiku said, remembering the Turaga's instant recognition. "How did you know that was Theta?"

Hattit looked at them with saddened eyes. "I'm sorry we never told you the truth. Theta was attacked by a shadow creature and transformed into...that. But he left the island, of his own free will too."

Hattit's explanation was cut off by Kappa's return. He was frowning pensively with his arms crossed.

"Well?" Hattit asked after Kappa just stood there silently for a few moments.

"Eh?" Kappa looked startled, then sheepish. Then his usual determination overtook his expression. "Oh, yes. Come on, we need to get back to Titasami and the others."

"But we haven't found the other Rahi yet," Tyoama pointed out.

"Theta did. They're not harming anything where they are." Kappa started walking away. "Come on, hurry."

Ikiku and Tyoama looked at each other in puzzlement. Then they hurried after the second in command. None of them noticed Hattit staring intently at the small, blackened scar on Kappa's back.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: So, I decided to split this chapter back into two chapters. And my only factor in making that decision is that I want all the chapters to be close in length, and this one would have been the longest one yet if I kept them together (minus chapter 8, because that was originally a short story). So, the conclusion will have to wait. Well, I guess it's sort of all concluded here, at least everything major is. Next chappy is the wind-down, "and they all lived happily ever after" stuff. I was going to post this last night, but my internet cut out, and I didn't get another chance to do it until I got back from work. And now, here is chapter 11, the climax of the fighting scenes.

**Chapter 11**

Vicant had to admit, he had never hated water more than he did right now. He was dripping wet and beginning to have difficulty creating fire with all the dampness. Another blast of water hit the Fire Toa, causing him to slide on the mud forming at his feet. He felt his frustration rising again.

"Heads up!" Vicant felt a fierce wind blast him from behind a second after the warning. He was about to chew out the Toa of Air about his bad aim when Lynx laughed. "You can't have a fire without air!"

Vicant realized that he was now completely dry. He grinned as his sword flared to life again. He also realized that his previous attack plan was not going to work. Shooting fire at the water blasts was completely wasteful. He did not like these Rahi. The blue ones were specifically picking on him. _At least if they're focused on me, they won't bother with the Matoran, _he thought optimistically, _which means I have to keep being a nuisance to them._

He did the first thing that made sense. He charged the Rahi with a raging roar worthy of a Ta-Ahiran. The Rahi scattered in surprise at the sudden assault. In the brief confusion, Vicant set up as many fire barriers as he could to keep the Rahi on this side.

Lynx grinned at Vicant's ingenuity. When the Toa of Fire ran at the Rahi with a bestial roar, he thought his teammate had short-wired or something. He heard the faint whistle of oncoming projectiles and took aim. He shot them out of the sky with ease. He heard a shout from behind him and looked. He instinctively ducked as numerous arrows and large rocks shot high into the air, arcing downwards toward the Rahi. The Matoran began hurriedly reloading their makeshift bows and catapults. Then the Air Toa turned his attention back to the battle. He gasped as he witnessed one of the Rahi nearly tear Vicant's arm off. While the crimson Toa was able to get the Rahi off him before it managed to completely dismember it, his left arm was rendered useless. Lynx heard more enemy projectiles and winced. He had to protect the Matoran, but he could not let the Rahi kill his brother Toa.

"Hey you," he said, gesturing to a Le-Matoran. The Le-Matoran turned his attention to the Toa. "Is there anyone here who can path-track these flying stones? Can you?"

The Matoran quickly nodded, though he looked a bit unsure. Lynx ran into the fray, sending controlled tornados spinning through the Rahi ranks.

* * *

><p>"I don't want to hear it," the black Toa snapped, becoming irritated. "You are not going to fight. You are going to freeze everything you see, and that's it."<p>

There was silence from the Ice Toa for a few seconds as Titasami continued digging. Then he heard more muttering. He could not hear what he was muttering, but he knew the basic gist of it.

He sighed. "For the last time: you are in no condition to fight. Just cover my back."

Ray finally fell silent and stopped protesting. _Good. He enjoys a good fight, but he's not that stupid,_ the Toa of Earth thought.

Titasami halted in his digging, placing his hands on the ceiling. Through his earth powers, he could "see" the surface. "The Vortixx is directly overhead," he whispered. "A dozen Rahi have a circle around him. A few dozen more are further off. I'm going to blast the Rahi away and take on the big guy. And remember: no fighting."

All it took was a slight push with his elemental power and the Rahi were rocketed away. Before the Vortixx could figure out what was going on, Titasami pulled him into the hole and leaped out, followed by Ray. Titasami punched the tall foe in the face with all his strength.

For once, Ray stuck to the plan and froze the Rahi before they could recover. However, the Fire Ithamar were resisting effectively. The Toa of Ice had to continually pour ice over them to keep them sedated. It did not help that the Rahi in the back lines had noticed the commotion. The Rahi seemed to put a higher priority on rescuing their master than attacking the Matoran. Now Ray had to keep all the Rahi from interfering with Titasami and Zebulun's fight. The Toa of Ice smiled crazily. _Looks like I'll get to fight anyway._ Suddenly, the sky turned black. _Or not._

The darkness was not just visible, it could be felt, and it was having a very negative effect on the Rahi. Well, it was positive for the Toa. The Rahi were cowering as an unnatural fear overtook them. They were flattening themselves to the ground, looking around for the invisible cause of their fear. _Perfect timing, _he thought, rubbing one of his numerous wounds.

* * *

><p>"Whoa." Lynx was not sure whether he should be thankful or worried, but he kept a tight grip on his bow. The creepy darkness was helpful, making the Rahi behave like timid fish. But the shadowy presence was also affecting him, making him uneasy. A pained grunt drew his attention to his injured brother. He decided to use the distraction to tend to Vicant. The Toa of Fire's arm and side were covered in orange fluid, the arm hanging limply at his side. But Vicant tried to shrug off the Air Toa's help.<p>

"We don't have time," he hissed. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I really don't. Wait a sec." Lynx squinted at the black clouds. He thought he saw something move in the clouds. Then a shadow fell from the clouds with deadly swiftness and tackled the Vortixx leader. Zebulun released his strangle hold on the dazed Toa of Earth and began furiously fighting this new assailant while shouting at his cowering minions to help him.

"Dude. What is that?" the green Toa asked, an astonished look on his Miru.

Vicant turned to look, but the movement caused him too much pain. He fell to his knees, leaning on his sword for support. Lynx crouched next to him and began using air pressure to at least stop the bleeding. As he closed up the wounds, he glanced around at the Rahi and the shadow creature. Luckily for them, the Rahi were still being controlled by fear.

His eyes were quickly drawn to the battle raging between the two ebony warriors. Although the Vortixx was taller and armed with two swords, the newcomer had wings and an impressive array of powers. Shadow, water, air, and invisibility were interchangeably used by the newcomer. However, the shadow being was at a disadvantage because of his lack of weapons. Zebulun took advantage of this weakness and did everything he could to get him within range of the swords. The shadow being was fast. With each sword swing that came near, the shadow one would dodge or blast the swords with one of his powers. He would frequently turn invisible during the fight. It would have been wise to completely keep invisible, but it appeared that the shadow being enjoyed taunting his foe. But his childish taunting proved to be his greatest weakness.

It soon became a sort of a routine. Zebulun would attempt to stab or cut the stranger. The stranger would dodge and blast the Vortixx's offending weapon with one of his powers. Sometimes he would go invisible and dodge, then reappear. Then the stranger would allow the Vortixx to take another swipe at him. Then he would dodge again, and the process would repeat itself. But the stranger began getting too bold, waiting longer each time to dodge. This time, Zebulun left an armor deep cut across the stranger's chest. The warlord laughed triumphantly, and the stranger appeared shocked and angry.

Zebulun's laugh died quickly as the very angry stranger went on the offensive. He realized with dread that this being had only been playing with him up to that point. Now he was forced to dodge claws laced with shadow and water. He had never realized that either element could be condensed into something so solid that it could cut. Zebulun began to get desperate, thrusting and blocking rapidly, trying to win. He had to win, he could not lose. He wanted this land, these Matoran. He wanted to rule. While Zebulun's fear made him fiercer, the stranger's anger made him reckless. Both landed several blows on the other. But the Vortixx still had one trick left, a very dangerous one.

Lynx watched in horror as the next events played out before him in a matter of seconds. The shadow being lunged at Zebulun once again. However, this time, the Vortixx faked a right swing to the stranger's head. In one swift, fluid motion, the experienced warlord stepped to the left and stabbed the shadow being. But the shadow being's reflexes were just fast enough to save him. He jerked forward and avoided a lethal impaling to the chest, but the sword pierced his wings instead. With a sadistic grin, the Vortixx pulled the trigger, shredding his opponent's wings. The shadow being screamed. Then the blades came back together, painfully entangling the appendages. In the next second, the cruel warlord ripped the wings off the stranger's back.

The Toa of Air knew he could no longer be a bystander. He could not wait for this stranger to identify himself as an ally or enemy. Seeing the strange being on his hands and knees, dark fluids practically pouring out of his back, called out to his honor as a Toa. He could not just sit back and watch someone get killed. He charged, shooting twin whirlwinds from his hands. The blasts knocked the warlord off his feet before he could finish his opponent.

Suddenly, the Vortixx was slammed against a rock outcropping, pinned between the rock and Titasami's large shield. Activating his Kakama, Mask of Speed, the Earth Toa leaped backward, just out of reach. The warlord took the bait, his focus on the black Toa. He never noticed the white presence to his right until he was encased in ice from the neck down.

It was then that Lynx noticed that the sky had cleared and the foreboding aura was gone. It was clear that it was somehow the doing of the dark stranger. But the Rahi were not attacking. Perplexed, he looked around. The Rahi were...lounging? That was the best word he could think of to describe the posture of the formerly overly aggressive creatures. They were lying around like a bunch of harmless, basking snakes.

"You filthy creatures!" the Vortixx roared, trying to struggle. "Attack! Kill! Kill them!"

Some of the Rahi rose to their feet, and Lynx prepared himself for the attack. But nothing of that sort happened. Instead, they stretched lazily and lay back down. Now Lynx was straight out confused. A clanging noise brought the Air Toa's attention back to the imprisoned Vortixx. The source of the noise was another Ithamar, a large red one, who had deposited a broken sword on the ground between them. Lynx had no clue what this gesture meant, but from the warlord's shocked expression he could tell that it was very important. Then the Rahi turned its back on its leader and walked away. The other Rahi emphasized this gesture by turning their heads away from their fallen leader.

Lynx scratched the back of his head and shrugged. _And I always thought weird only came in green._


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Here is the end, complete with a little cliffhanger for the sequel. I have started making an outline of the next story, but that's pretty much as far as I've gotten. Also, I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers and all you guys who just read in passing. I don't judge how much you guys like it by how many reviews I get. I love that traffic stats feature. Anyway, now I will be working more on my Kopaka story and trying to fix up some of my old works so they are at least presentable.

**Chapter 12**

Lynx was having a hard time processing everything that had gone on in the past few minutes. He started walking toward Titasami and Ray, hoping to get something out of them. Then he stepped in something wet and looked down. It was a very dark green fluid, turning darker the longer it was there. Lynx remembered the wounded stranger and looked around. He spotted him staggering off, one hand wrapped around to his back and the other helping him navigate. He had not gotten far and was leaving a trail of dark fluid. The green Toa jogged up to the stranger.

The stranger tensed at his approach, but he did not take any offensive stance. He grimaced and sat down, hunched over in pain. Lynx applied air pressure to the bleeding wounds. Within a few seconds, he managed to stop the flow.

"Th-thanks," the stranger rasped weakly, his voice oddly familiar.

"No problemo," Lynx said cheerfully.

"That was stupid."

Lynx rolled his eyes at the blunt statement. He turned to the Ice Toa. "Way to thank our rescue-save."

"Still stupid."

"Oh, shut up, freezer-face," the stranger spat.

"Hey," Lynx snapped defensively. Then he snickered. "Freezer-face. Hehe, I'll have to remember that one."

Then he heard a shout that he added to his expanding list of confusing incidents of the day. It came from Kappa, who was running toward them urgently. It was a name he thought he would not hear again. Lynx turned back to the stranger and repeated it unbelievingly. "Theta?" He goggled at the shadow being, beginning to realize it was true. He swooped down on his friend and began hugging him tightly. "Theta!"

After hearing the dark Toa grunt in pain and feeling fluid on his arms, he sheepishly let go. "Oops, sorry about that," he muttered, applying air pressure to the reopened wounds. Suddenly another pair of hands was on his, aiding his efforts. He glanced at Kappa, briefly surprised at the intense concern he saw. He often forgot how close the two were. Still, he was a Toa of Air with an insatiable curiosity. Questions began pouring out of his mouth quicker than anyone could answer, sometimes even quicker than anyone else could process.

"Kappa. Come here," the Earth Toa commanded. Kappa hesitated, wanting to stay with his injured twin, but came anyway. The black Toa was holding a parchment. A red Ithamar stood before him, waiting. Titasami handed the parchment to Kappa. It was a note from Turaga Silam, offering the Rahi a home in Po-Wahi. After he finished reading it, the Water and Air Toa looked at his leader.

"What?"

"What do you think of it?" the Toa of Earth asked.

Kappa realized that Titasami was testing him again. He was becoming used to these impromptu tests, and had already been forming an answer. "I think it is unreasonable."

Titasami's expression did not change. "Explain."

They were interrupted by a cry from Tyoama. "They are sooo cute!" Everyone turned to see the Toa of Water playing with a Water Ithamar. Several others were looking on in jealousy. Some were even approaching her, begging for the same attention. There was no longer any aggression in their acts.

Kappa cleared his throat. "As it would be unfair to station a Toa of Water in the desert, it would be unfair to place these water elementals in the desert. I'm sure that they can be of great use to Ga-Ahira. The fire elemental Rahi could live comfortably in the desert. I'm sure the Po-Ahirans will find some use for them. They always do. Sir?"

Titasami did not give any indication whether he agreed or not.

"Uhhh, sir?" he asked hesitantly. "Do you agree?"

"You cannot always wait upon my answers, Second," Titasami said scoldingly. After a moment's pause, he added, "Yes, I do."

* * *

><p>There was little resistance from the Matoran about accepting the Ithamar to their island. Some were upset about pardoning the killers of their friends and fellow Matoran. But for the most part, the Matoran, especially the Po-Matoran, were receptive to the new specie.<p>

However, at this moment, the Rahi were the last thing on their minds. The Le-Ahirans, feeling very left out because they had not participated in the action, were throwing a party for the victorious Ga- and Ta-Ahirans. Many Po-Ahirans came uninvited because they felt left out since they had helped end the fight too. Tyoama, Vicant, Lynx, and Ikiku were the only Toa who remained for the party. Ray and Theta disappeared shortly after Zebulun was safely imprisoned in Onu-Ahira. Titasami and Kappa stayed in Onu-Ahira to insure that precautions would be taken to keep the warlord imprisoned.

It quickly became apparent that the Le-Ahirans had not just thrown the party for the victorious. They seemed to be enjoying the party much more than the others, as was their style. The party became a bit crazy where many Le-Matoran were gathered together. The Toa were able to keep the excitable Matoran calm enough with a quick word or just by their presence. At least, until one of them went crazy too.

"Hey. Hey Vicant. Hey. Hey Vicant."

"What?" the Toa of Fire snapped at the Toa of Air, whose Miru was adorned with a disturbing smile. The emerald Toa held his hands suspiciously behind his back.

"Hey, do you like melons? Ripe melons? Really, really ripey melons?"

Vicant gave him a perplexed look. He was about to ask him what in blazes he was talking about. Then his eyes widened as the large, squishy fruit suddenly blocked his vision. Unfortunately for him, his reflexes failed him, and green juice dripped down from his head. Lynx was hooting insanely. Vicant's hands curled into fists, the fruit juice beginning to harden as his body temperature rose. Before he could strike, he felt something bump his good hand. He glanced down and saw a Le-Matoran trying to hand a very squishy melon to him. The green Matoran was grinning at him mischievously. Vicant grinned back and took the melon.

Tyoama shook her head with an amused chuckle. At least many of the Le-Matoran had stopped their disruptive behavior to watch the two Toa have a fruit-fight. She glanced at Ikiku as he sat back down next to her with more food.

"You seem kinda attached to that," Ikiku mumbled through a mouthful of the energy rich fruit.

The Toa of Water smiled down at the Water Ithamar, whom she learned was named Azari. The Rahi had its head in her lap, enjoying her petting. "Well, now that I've gotten a close look at them, they are quite cute. Having them around will be like having water-Muaka. With training, they can keep dangerous Rahi away from the village, maybe even help us with transportation. Ray stated that they have incredible underwater maneuverability."

"Heh, we would leave the Fire Ithamar with the Ta-Matoran, but they don't have much use for Rahi. Well, more like they just don't have the patience for them. Do you think we should remind Vicant that his arm's hurt?" he asked, observing that the Toa of Fire was using his bad arm without registering any pain.

The azure Toa laughed. "Nope. He'll remember as soon as he stops having fun. And by then, I hope Lynx remembers that Vicant can run faster than he can."

* * *

><p>"What is that supposed to be?"<p>

The two figures hunched over a mess of writing and other squiggles in the snow did not look up or appear surprised by the second in command's appearance.

"It's a game," Theta spat. "But Ray's cheating."

"No I am not."

"Yes, you are. You keep changing the word."

"The word?" Kappa asked, tilting his head curiously. He stepped closer to get a better view.

"Yeah. Ray's being a saucer-head and trying to 'strengthen my vocabulary'." He snorted disrespectfully. "But. He's still cheating."

"How am I cheating?" Ray asked with a frown, clearly annoyed.

"See that?" He pointed to a letter that was messily thrown in with a bunch of other letters. "And that?" Then he pointed to the same letter, which was placed on a neat string of dashes.

"So, what is your point?"

Theta growled in frustration and pointed to the messy group of letters. "You said that these letters aren't in the stupid word."

"Oh." The white Toa paused, his blank expression not changing. Then he wiped the offending letter out of the snow. "It must have been left over from the last game."

"Argh! No it wasn't! You're cheating!"

Kappa smiled slightly and sat down between them. "Can I join?"

The Toa of Ice looked at the squiggly mess then back at him. "Indeed." Then he wiped out the present game with a new layer of snow, ignoring the Shadow Toa's noisy protests. Then he drew a series of dashes. "Better yet, you two can compete."

Kappa grinned and punched Theta on the shoulder. Theta grinned back.

* * *

><p>The Toa of Earth stared at the shaking Vortixx. He was disgusted. This creature had killed Matoran without any remorse. Now, he was begging for his life. His pathetic groveling was really beginning to irritate the Toa.<p>

"We are Toa. We do not kill."

Zebulun whimpered. "But you will send me back. Back to Xian. That - I don't want to go back! Please! Don't!"

Titasami tried to hide his contempt. "Why did you come here?"

The former warlord grunted in surprise. "I...I've already told you this. It was to-to...you know." The Vortixx was glad that there was an energy forcefield around him, keeping him in and the Toa out. Even so, he still tried to back away when the Toa leaned in closer.

"Refresh my memory, and be precise."

"It was to rule over the Matoran," he said quietly. Then he began rambling. "That was all I wanted, honestly. I did not wish to harm any of them. I wanted them all alive and intact!"

"Was that your only reason for coming here?" he demanded.

"Y-yes. It was. I swear to the Great Beings it was. And I swear I did not mean any harm to c-come to any of them."

There was an uneasy silence. The black Toa continued staring into his eyes, as if trying to see into his heartlight. It was very disconcerting to the Vortixx. Finally the Toa stopped his creepy staring and started walking away without saying anything further.

"Please don't send me back," he whined softly. "I'll do anything."

The Toa of Earth turned back to him. "I have already sent a message to Xian," he said coldly. Then he continued walking out of the cell. Once outside, he entered the lock codes to the system. Then he just stood there, staring into space pensively.

_He was only here for the Matoran._ He did not like how relieved this made him feel. He should be concerned about the Matoran, and he was. But he feared that the Vortixx was there for something else, something that he would risk breaking the Toa Code to protect. _That research should never have been completed, never been started even,_ he thought ruefully. With a sigh of resignation, he began his trek back to his home.

/end Dynamics


End file.
